Turning the Wheel of Fortune
by Alina Larin
Summary: DMHG story AU HBP. Also includes HarryFleur, BZGD and SSOC in later chapters. Wizarding politics and family relations mixed with a healthy amount of romance. Hermione has been scheming and there is noone better to help her than a certain Slytherin.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, which belong to JK Rowling.

This is my first Harry Potter story, please review. Many thanks to my Beta xCailinNollaigx.

Chapter 1

The sliding doors swished open and Hermione ducked into the dry, light interior of the music store. She shook her umbrella and gave a disgusted look to the street where streams of water were pouring down from a lead grey sky.

It had been like this all summer: wet and windy weather doing nothing to improve her mood. She liked sunshine, it lifted her spirit and, Merlin knew, she could do with such help. It had been four weeks since the end of her fifth year at Hogwarts that ended up so disastrously. Sirius died and she herself was seriously injured. Harry smashed half of Dumbledore's office and then left to his ghastly relatives - no doubt, being eaten from inside by grief and guilt.

Her own parents were called into Hogwarts for the first time ever and the sight of their only daughter lying in a hospital bed sent them over the edge with worry that both had been harbouring for years. They declared that she would not be returning back to school. Fortunately McGonagall had stepped in and with a grim face told the Grangers that Hermione did not have a choice. She was known to be one of Harry Potter's best friends, which made her a target, even more desirable to the one Who-Must-Not-Be-Named because of her origin. Taking her out of school would not diminish that danger since everybody knew Harry's attachment to his friends. Hogwarts was a safe place for her during the term and the summer she was going to spend in a protected undisclosed location. The Grangers house was going to be heavily warded. That was the end of that discussion and two days later Hermione arrived to Grimmauld place.

Though she dearly missed her parents, the young witch was relieved to be at the Headquarters. It gave her a feeling of being useful. However after everything that happened, the house had become an even more depressing place than before. With memories of Sirius hanging over every corner and the sombre mood of its occupants, she began to feel suffocated by the dusty walls of this place.

That's why she ended up in a HMV store this grey afternoon. Hermione always liked music. She had a large collection of CDs and had charmed her portable CD player to work on magic instead of batteries. This summer she found a much needed relief from visits to a music store. Of course, she had to go in secret because she was not allowed to leave the house without an escort but she had ignored this rule. If she did not get away at least for a little bit, she would go insane.

Hermione quickly flipped through the CDs on one of the stands and put on a pair of headphones to listen to a couple of songs, she kept changing the titles forming a nice stack of those she was planning to buy. She glanced at a clock and sighed. It had been already three quarters of an hour since she left, which meant she had to head back. She pulled off her headphones and started walking towards the cashier trying to balance her CDs in one hand and pull her wallet out with the other. Concentrated on her task she did not notice a tall boy who had just left the pay point and bumped squarely into him. The impact caused her CDs to fall down. Cursing silently she bent down to pick them up and lifted her head to mutter apologies but the words died on her lips. Grey eyes on a pale face and bleach blond hair, she could not believe her eyes but she was staring straight into the face of Draco Malfoy-a despicable Slytherin that had been tormenting her for five years.

"What was that, Granger?" she heard a familiar drawl. "Were you going to apologise?" A usual sneer married his face. "About the damn time…"

Hermione shook her head hoping that it was her imagination running wild but when she realised that Malfoy was not going to disappear she quickly straitened to her full height.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" she glared at him.

He raised one of his perfect eyebrows and nodded towards a few purchases in his hands, "Isn't it obvious, Granger? I've been shopping."

His words made Hermione almost drop her CDs all over again, "But this is a muggle store!" she exclaimed before she could stop herself.

"Very observant, Granger."

"You hate everything muggle." Hermione continued, her brain trying to grasp the situation.

He shrugged his shoulders, "For your information, I don't "hate everything Muggle". We both know that occasionally they make useful stuff. Music is just one example; it's far cooler than anything one can find in the wizarding world. And as a Malfoy I like to have the best." He smirked again and looked at the CDs that she was still clutching to her chest, "Hey, you are a rock-chick, Granger. Never would have thought."

Hermione could not take it anymore. The whole situation was so bizarre that she had to pinch herself in a hope to wake up. She shook her head and looked into his face again, "Malfoy, are you ill or something?" Her eyes narrowed, "Or is this another sick plan of yours? If it is I swear I will hex you into the next week."

He rolled his eyes again, "Relax, Granger, we are not at Hogwarts." Her eyes looked at him in confusion and suspicion. He sighed and continued, "This is Muggle London, no one knows who we are and no one cares how much we really hate each other."

Hermione frowned at his answer. Did she understand him right? Did he really mean what she thought he meant? She looked at him again and was surprised to see that his face was not full of contempt as usual but instead had an expression of teasing amusement. Her breath quickened and she took a step towards him, "Are you saying what I think you're saying, Malfoy?" she asked outraged. "You made my life hell for five years, calling me a Mudblood at every occasion you had, not because you hated me but because you wanted everyone to believe that you hated me?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Granger, I am a Slytherin and a Malfoy. You are a Muggleborn Gryffindor and a friend of Potter. Certain behaviour is expected of us, don't you think?"

Hermione just stared at him in shock. This could not be real… Malfoy had to be lying to her, it was a set-up… Her face must have shown the chaos that was reigning in her mind because the Slytherin grinned at her, "Wow, Granger, I did not know that you could actually be speechless… You should do it more often, it suits you."

"Don't patronize me, you git."

"I would not dream ofit," he drawled, "patronising is your prerogative." And before she could say anything, he turned away from her and headed towards the exit with a casual, "See you, Granger."

Hermione stared at his disappearing figure not sure of what to do. Part of her wanted to run after him and demand an explanation but another kept her firmly rooted to the floor. This was too bizarre to do something impulsively. She needed to think. The young witch quickly paid for her CDs and hurried towards the exit. She would talk to Harry and Ron about Malfoy's strange behaviour.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It's been two weeks since Hermione's strange encounter with Draco Malfoy and the thoughts of it still filled her mind. The fact that she had nobody to discuss it with was making matters even worse. Her initial intention was to talk to Harry and Ron, but she quickly gave up the idea. If she told them about her meeting with Malfoy, she would have to admit that she had left the house without permission and though she was sure that Harry and Ron would not tell anybody else, they would also not let her go on her own again and she was not willing to relinquish what little freedom she had.

So Hermione did not say a word to Ron or to Harry who had arrived to Grimmauld place a day after her little trip. He was in a subdued, and at the same time, very angry mood. He sat a lot on his own in the owlery or with Buckbeak, his face grim and his thoughts far away. Hermione tried her best to cheer him up and sometimes it worked but she found herself growing increasingly tired. Perhaps that was another reason why she kept thinking about her meeting with Malfoy, it provided her brain with necessary distraction. She tried to recall every facial expression, word and gesture that he made and none of it fit the image of Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Prince and stuck-up Pureblood. Though he was by no means friendly, his behaviour lacked that spiteful hatred that usually filled his every interaction with her, which was even more bizarre if one considered the fact that his father was currently residing in Azkaban after the attack on the Ministry. There was no doubt in her mind that the younger Malfoy knew that she was there and had fought his father. However, it did not seem to temper his spirits in the slightest. Hermione wondered whether it was just a clever act on the Slytherin's part or some twisted game he was playing. But even to her suspicious half such possibility looked a bit too far fetched. He could not have known that she would be in this store. She made sure not to go twice to the same one in case somebody spotted her. And the whole fact that he was in a Muggle shop buying Muggle music sent all her explanations into complete disarray. Before, she would never have believed that Malfoy even had known that Muggles composed music, no matter that he would be able to recognize the titles of the CDs she'd been holding.

Hermione sighed in frustration. She did not know what to do. Her sensible part was telling her to stop obsessing about Malfoy's strange behaviour and just file the information for future reference. But her natural curiosity that helped her become a top student in Hogwarts was now playing tricks with her. In the past she always viewed Malfoy as a spoiled and cruel rich kid. Now his character stopped being so two-dimensional and become somewhat of a mystery that she was dying to solve. There was also another reason on her mind, perhaps less selfish, to pursue the matter further. The coming year was going to be a tough one, especially for Harry who would need any help he could get. If Malfoy was at least not an outright enemy, it would make a big difference for the Golden Trio, especially in Hogwarts where the blond commanded the Slytherins with the manipulativeness and ruthlessness of a Medieval king. If she could just get Malfoy to agree that he would not strike Harry in the back, it would make their lives a lot easier. But in order to even attempt to broker some sort of truce with the Slytherin, she needed to get to the bottom of the miraculous change in his behaviour and the only way to do it was to ask him some questions.

Hermione sighed again. She would have to be patient, the classes were due to resume in three weeks and her questions would have to wait till then. Unless… Hermione quickly glanced at the clock. Ron and Harry were playing wizardian chess which usually took them a few hours. Mrs Weasley and the rest of her children went back to the Burrow for a while, so Hermione was left on her own in the library. She could skive off for a little bit. But where would she look for him? She could of course go back to the same music store. But what were the chances he would be there again? On the other hand if he was a real music fan he could be frequenting the place. Hermione had already found out that this HMV store was the largest and the closest to the Diagonal Alley. Malfoy probably would not want to advertise his taste to Muggle music and since he could not apparate, dropping in somewhere close by to the wizardian shopping district would be the safest way. Hermione quickly got up, even if he was not there, it was worth getting out for a while; she could buy a few more CDs.

An hour later she was back. Of course, Malfoy was not in the store. She chided herself for even hoping that she would meet him. First of all, the chances of him actually being there at the same time as her, were ridiculously small and secondly, who said, that he was even going to talk to her. Maybe last time he had just gone temporally insane?! However, no matter how much she tried to convince herself that her actions made no sense, from that day onward she did her best to go to the store at least every other day. And her efforts were not in vain.

Two weeks later she walked into the store and as usually scanned the display rows already assuming that he was not there when her eyes caught a tall figure with bleach blond hair. Her breathing sped up and for a second she stood still not knowing what to do. She had finally found him but all she wanted to do now was turn around and flee. However, she was not a Gryffindor for nothing, she squared her shoulders and headed towards him. She stopped just a few feet away. He had headphones on and was listening to something intently which gave her a time to look at the display in front of him. Techno, she raised her eyebrows, not something she would expect him to like. But, hey, this was Malfoy, she did not think he liked anything except himself and Quidditch. Suddenly he pulled off the headphones and turned squarely at her.

"Granger, didn't somebody tell you that spying on people was rude?" she was so taken aback that he noticed her that she did not know what to say. His face turned into a smirk. "I presume you weren't looking for me?"

Hermione turned red and retorted quickly, "Of course, not. Don't be ridiculous, Malfoy." Perhaps she replied too quickly because his grin disappeared and was replaced by a frown.

"You were looking for me? What the hell for?" he quickly looked around. "Are Potter and Weasley here as well?"

"No," she shook her head.

"Yeah, right," he looked at her suspiciously. "As if they let you meet me on your own".

Hermione raised her head defiantly, "I am not scared of you, Malfoy. You should know that I can take care of myself." She expected him to retort, but he just rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, Granger," he drawled. "What do you want? If you were looking for me and did not bring your lapdogs with you, there must have been a reason."

Hermione took a deep breath; she knew that he was baiting her by referring to Harry and Ron as her lapdogs so she decided to ignore it and get straight to the point. "I want to talk to you."

"About what?"

"About what you said last time. I want an explanation."

"I've given you an explanation," he sounded wary.

"Well it's not good enough."

"Well, that's the only one you'll get. Look," he ran his hand through his hair, "Last time I was in a good mood and probably not at my brightest that I forgot what a pain in the neck you really are. I like Muggle music, so do you, it does not change anything else. So let's agree on this and go our separate ways."

Hermione shook her head stubbornly, "It's not that simple," she said, "you're different, for whatever reason you treat me like a human being, you might not like me particularly, but you don't despise me and I want to know what have changed. And I am not leaving until I know."

Malfoy sighed exasperatedly, "Fine, then I'll leave." He turned around but stopped when she continued.

"If you leave now I will tell everybody that I saw you buying Muggle music."

He slowly turned and Hermione was prepared for an angry outburst, but instead his lips twisted into a wry smile, though his eyes turned even colder "I see our righteous Gryffindor has resorted to blackmail. No one will believe you, Granger."

She did not like the edge in his voice but pushed further, "Maybe, but let me tell you, it's a lot more difficult to get away with things when people suspect you might be up to something. Do you need this headache, Draco?" she continued in a silky voice. "All I want is to ask a couple of questions and then I promise I'll leave you alone."

For a second he stood motionless but then sighed tiredly and headed towards the stairs leading to a Starbucks located at the balcony level, "You're a real spoil-sport, Granger," he muttered over the shoulder.

She went after him. When they got upstairs, he took out his wallet and nodded towards the counter, "What do you want?"

She shook her head, "I'll get it myself."

He sighed exasperatedly, "Granger, for Merlin's sake, just tell me what you want and go get a seat for us. I don't have all day."

She really wanted a decaf skinny cappuccino with extra chocolate flakes but decided to ask for a cup of tea, figuring that it would be easier for him to order since it was served in Hogwarts. He nodded and turned to the girl at the counter. Hermione hurried to a far corner table trying to gather her thoughts for the conversation. "For Harry," she said to herself, "I am doing this for Harry and for the Order." Her thoughts were interrupted by a tall mug set in front of her. It seemed that she was wrong assuming that Malfoy would struggle with Starbucks drinks selection since he got for himself a tall Frapuccino.

"OK, Granger, what do you want to know?"

She looked at him sharply, "I am not being just nosey, Malfoy!"

"Of course, not," he drawled sarcastically, "you tracked me down, blackmailed me into answering your questions, so you can't be nosey, you are just being yourself-a meddlesome pain in the butt."

She glared at him but decided to ignore his comment, "I want to know why you pretend to hate me when we are in Hogwarts? And not just me, you've been terrorizing the whole school for years, especially Gryffindors. You said it was expected of us to hate each other, but I don't go round insulting Slytherins. I am not saying we should be friends but why not just go our separate ways and at least ignore each other?"

"And what's the fun in that?" he raised his eyebrow. Hermione seared him with a death glare and he sighed resignedly, "Granger, don't pretend to be so naïve. Hogwarts was always split in halves, goody-goody Gryffindors against evil Slytherins, with Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw teaming up with one or another depending on a course. You were not brought up with this, but I was and so was your favourite Weasel. I bet the first thing he told you and Potter was that Slytherins were up to no good and could not be trusted. And if you had met me first, I would have said that Gryffindors were uptight, narrow-minded and as subtle as a brick. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle but to all intents and purposes it does not matter. I am not dumb and I know that if it comes to it both you and I will bleed red but I am not about to go against almost a thousand years worth of history and traditions especially in the times like now."

She stared at him, "So you just play your role, taunt people because it simply easier and you are too scared to try and change things?"

His face hardened, "What did you expect, Granger? I am a Slytherin. We take care of ourselves and our own. "Saving the world" is not in my vocabulary. Both you and Potter and Weasley annoy the hell out of me. Talk about double standards. If it was anybody else but Potter they would have been ten times expelled from Hogwarts for all the rule breaking that he's done. Plus," his mouth twisted into a wry smile, "It's a lot of fun to see how riled up you all get…"

Hermione glare at him again, "This is just low, Malfoy. I always thought you were a real git, but I thought you were following your believes, now to find out that you are just playing a cruel game, because you are too scared to stand up to your peers, it just made you ten times worse. Maybe Harry breaks a lot of rules but it's not like he likes it, he does not have a choice."

"Well, neither do I," his eyes shone dangerously. "Look, Granger, I am not going to defend myself. I don't need a halo around my head like Saint Potter. But think about this, in all our years in Hogwarts, you were the only one who ended up in the hospital wing because of me. And in all honesty, I think it did you more good than bad."

Hermione blushed but tried to push her embarrassing memories about the huge beaver teeth, away. She did not come here to argue with Malfoy, "Fine," she continued, "you play your role, mercilessly taunt Gryffindors to maintain your reputation as Malfoy, but what will happen in future? You know better than anybody that the war is coming. And it would not be about Bet Bogey hexes anymore. What will you do then?"

His face clouded but it only lasted a minute and she was again presented with an unreadable expression that was his trademark. "Granger, you ask so many questions, you should know by now that sometimes people are not going to answer." He quickly got up and before she could stop him, disappeared down the stairs.

Hermione inwardly cursed. She should not have pushed him so much. But then she needed to find out where he stood. She was not sure that she was any closer to figuring it out but at least it was a start. She confirmed that Malfoy did not hate Muggleborns and a lot of his tricks were just a clever play. There was enough hope in this information to continue her investigation.

**Reviews are very welcome.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Three weeks later she stood on the platform 9 and ¾ waiting to say good buy to Mr and Mrs Weasley. She was aware that a dozen aurors were hidden all around her protecting Harry and many more were stationed around the platform to ensure a safe departure of the Hogwarts Express. The crowd was more subdued this year with worried parents repeating again and again to their children that they had to be more careful. The one difference from the general quiet mood was probably the Slytherin group that behaved no different than in previous years though she had to admit that they never made much noise. It probably was the pureblood upbringing but public show case of emotions was not something they did a lot.

She stole a quick glance at the Slytherin crowd and saw a tall figure of Narcissa Malfoy standing with her head high and next to her Draco who had definitely grown even taller over the few weeks she had not seen him. The fact that the Head of the Malfoy family was currently in Azkaban did not seem to temper their moods: both were smiling and talking to each other. Hermione watched Draco lower his head so Narcissa could kiss his forehead and then she apparated away. Draco lifted his head and his eyes met with Hermione's. She was caught of guard and blushed at the fact that he had noticed her spying on him again. The Gryffindor quickly looked away for the umpteen times cursing herself for ever venturing into the HMV on that rainy day. If she hadn't gone, she would not have found out that Malfoy was anything morfe than a stuck up pureblood and would have never become so obsessed with him. And that was indeed what happened to her. She was Gryffindor enough to at least admit it to herself: the blond Slytherin haunted her thoughts. The only hope was that she could find a way to turn him against Voldemort. Otherwise she had lost her peace of mind for nothing. Mrs Weasley's voice snapped her out of her thought. Hermione shook her head and did her best to concentrate on the conversation and push Malfoy out of her head.

The train journey went as expected. She set with Harry and the Weasleys and after a while her and Ron went to the prefects' compartment. Of course there they had to endure the Slytherins. Malfoy ignored her and was sniggering about something with Parkinson. She had to admit that the Slytherin Prince had become what would be described by most as deliciously hot and unlike the Weasleys and Harry he had the money and the care to buy clothes that accentuated his looks. Malfoy was dressed in black jeans and dark green T-Shirt, which did nothing to hide his six-pack and turned his silver eyes into a stormy grey. His blond hair was falling into his eyes and his pale skin was smoothly shaved.

She knew that Malfoy was popular with the female population of Hogwarts ever since their third year when he had stopped sleeking his hair back. This year he would probably be put at the top of the "Most wanted" list of Hogwarts boys. Hermione shook her head, it did not matter to her how Malfoy looked. She was not interested in him that way, she had Ron. She looked at the red-head standing next to her. His presence made her calmer. She had Ron and Harry and together they would overcome all the obstacles in their path.

The first one came earlier than Hermione had expected. Two days after beginning of the term Harry was called into Headmaster's study. He was told that he would have special classes with Dumbledore every other week and that he also had to resume Occlumency training with Professor Snape, now Defence Against Dark Arts teacher.

Harry was glad that Dumbledore wanted to train him himself but not happy but resigned to the classes with Snape and had resolved to do everything he could to learn Occlumency. Hermione was fuming. She had read a lot about the subject during the summer and in every book it said that the first step in learning Occlumency was to relax your mind and there was nearly to no chances that Harry would relax anything in Snape's presence.

The potential harm from the wrong match of mentor and student could be the removal of natural walls of the mind making it more susceptible to Legilimency. And she reckoned that exactly what happened to Harry last year. She could not believe that Dumbledore would make him train with Snape again after the events of the end of the last school year.

Hermione did not voice her opinion to Harry but mentioned it to Ron who replied that Dumbledore did not have much choice in the matter. Occlumency and Legilimency were rare skills, mostly practiced by those close to Dark Arts and Snape was the only professor at Hogwarts trained enough to mentor somebody. Hermione argued that Dumbledore could do it himself but the red head disagreed, the green eyed boy was a very powerful wizard but had poor control of his magic. The Headmaster could not risk Harry finding information held in his head. Ron was right, but Hermione still disagreed with Dumbledore's decision. In her opinion he was being negligent not wanting to spend time on solving the issue. But she had no way of influencing him so it was up to her to come up with a solution.

Her answer came unexpectedly in a week's time. It was drizzling and nearly dark as Harry, Ron and her were returning from Hagrid's when they came across a group of Slytherins. They were walking from the Quidditch practice and Harry and Ron picked up speed hoping to hear something about their strategy. However, it seemed that the conversation was on a very different topic.

It was Nott who was talking, "Come on, Malfoy, why don't you want to teach us Legilimency? I bet half of Gryffindors know details about the Order of the Phoenix and this information could come very useful."

There was a pause and now it was Hermione who quickened her step hoping to keep listening into the conversation.

"There is a very good reason I don't want to teach you, Nott," finally came a clipped and at the same time condescending reply.

Hermione heard Nott snort and then his sarcastic voice asked, "And can I enquire, what this reason might be?"

Malfoy stopped abruptly and turned around, "Oh, it's right behind you," he answered calmly though his voice was ice cold. The group of Slytherin swirled around and saw the three Gryffindors just behind them. And Malfoy calmly continued, "You have to first learn not to divulge information before you try to extract it. And for that you don't need magic, just need to pay attention to your surroundings in case spying Gryffindors are behind." His voice now was dripping with derision. "My, my, why I am not surprised…" His face assumed his usual sneer. "A Mudblood, a Weasel and a Scarhead…"

Hermione's face was blushing deep red but she lifted her chin nonetheless. "We weren't trying to spy on you, Malfoy." Ron's protest sounded lamely.

"Of course, not, you just happened to speed up the moment you saw us coming from the Quidditch Pitch. Wanting to learn our strategy? Bummer…"

"Not exactly," Harry stepped in, "What we learnt is a lot more important, the fact that you want to infiltrate thoughts of Gryffindors to spy for Voldemort."

Ron visibly flinched as most of the Slytherins, but Malfoy remained calm, "Who told you this fairy tale, Potter? As far as I heard Nott here wanted to learn Legilimency so he could learn about the Order of the Phoenix. Maybe he wanted to report their activities to the Minister? From what I know Screamgehour would be really happy with such information. Perhaps you should use this opportunity; it would give you a very positive press in the Daily Prophet."

Harry was about to object but Hermione help him back. "Don't argue with him, Harry, he's not worth spending your breath on."

"Well said, Mudblood," Hermione glared at him but this did not have any effect on him, "all three of you should save your breaths, who knows how many you have left?!"

And with that he turned around and headed towards the castle, the rest of Slytherins following him obediently, snickering to themselves.

All the way to the Castle, Hermione was distracted, she half listened to Harry and Ron ranting and raving about Slytherins, but her thoughts were focused on a different matter. Draco Malfoy knew Legilimency and probably Occlumency as well. She was not surprised considering his family had long standing roots into Dark Magic. In spite of all his faults, Malfoy was intelligent and his grades were just below her own. She suspected that he was also highly trained in Dark Arts considering the spell he used in their second year to magic a snake in front of Harry. This, of course, presented both an opportunity and a threat. He could teach Harry Occlumency but would it be better than Snape? Unless… Hermione stopped abruptly… Yes, this could just work.

_The action will pick up in the next chapter. Please review._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

He found a note in his pocket after Potions which they had together with the Gryffindors. It contained just one line.

"_Meet me in the Astronomy tower during dinner. It's important. _

_Music lover."f_

He read the note once and the letters disappeared. He had no doubt who had sent this letter and was pretty sure she wanted something from him and that he would not like it one bit. The question was what he was going to do? Go there and listen to what she had to say or just ignore her request and see what she would do next. The latter was tempting but at the same time it was extra risk. He knew how strong headed Granger could be, there was no way she would give up easily. Perhaps it was better to show up, listen to her and then decide. At least then he would have all information at hand and could always say "no" in the end. So this was how while all his classmates were enjoying dinner on Friday night Draco Malfoy was heading to the Astronomy tower. When he arrived Granger was already there.

Hermione had been pacing back and forth waiting for Malfoy. She was not sure he would show up at all and small part of her was hoping that he would not, so she could have more time to prepare. But her wishes did not come true. A sound of light steps alerted his arrival and the second later he was standing in front of her. His face was a usual blank mask as he looked her up and down, though the usual sneer was missing.

"What do you want?" he asked without any attempt to sound polite.

She took a deep breathe and looked him straight in the eyes. "I want you to teach me Occlumency," her reply for as short and to the point as his question.

His perfectly shaped eyebrows shot up and a second later he started laughing. "Are you out of your mind, Granger?"

Hermione expected a reply like this and therefore continued unphased, "I am completely serious."

He shook his head, "Then the answer is "no"." He turned to leave but she stopped him.

"I know that you can do it, Draco." The use of his first name made him stop in his tracks. "I've heard your conversation with Nott the other night and I've done some research. Your grandfather was a master of both Occlumency and Legilimency. He wrote two theoretical books and 3 practical guides on these subjects. Unfortunately, they have been classified as Dark Arts and therefore we have not heard about them. But I bet that he had passed his skills and secrets to his heirs."

Though he was impressed by her knowledge he did not show it. "So what, Granger? Even if I can do it, why would I teach you? And I would advise you to think twice before trying to blackmail me again."

She shook her head, "I would not blackmail you, I promised you before and I always keep my promises." She took a deep breath and continued, "I offer you a safety net. You know better than anybody else that the war is coming. None of us knows what the outcome is going to be, but if, as I believe the Order succeeds, it would be good to have some brownie points with the winning side."

His face remained expressionless, but his voice became even colder when he replied, "Do you think, I am dumb? If I teach you Occlumency you and your Order would have a stick against me for the rest of my life. I have enough trouble with you blackmailing me because I like Muggle music and if I become your mentor it would amount to treachery and you know what the price for it is, where I come from."

Hermione shook her head, "The Order will never find out and I will sign a magical contract with you. If you teach me, I would not be able to disclose any information about this even under veritaserum."

Her suggestion had surprised him. She would have to be really desperate to be offering something like this. "Why do you want this so much?" he asked. And before she replied, continued, "It's for Potter isn't it? Last year Voldemort played with his mind and the lessons with Snape did not help. So this year you are hoping to learn yourself and then teach Potter?"

Hermione bit her lip, she did not want Malfoy to know this but it seemed that he had pretty much figured everything out without her help. All was left for her was to nod.

He turned away from her and started pacing, then stopped abruptly.

"Why don't you ask Dumbledore?" he asked. "Why is he not the one training Potter? I thought that Potter had been officially proclaimed the "saviour of the wizardian world," his lips twisted into a sarcastic smile, "so the Order surely have had developed a training programme for him?" He looked at her questioningly.

Hermione stayed quiet, she did not have much to say. Harry did have training classes with Dumbledore but she was not about to mention it to Malfoy. Moreover as far as she knew they mostly talked during them so she could not really understand how this was preparing Harry for his fight with Voldemort.

In the meantime Malfoy looked at her in amazement, his eyebrows now covered by his loose blond hair. "You are kidding me, right?" he asked incredulously, "so the old coot could not be bothered to train Potter even now?" He laughed bitterly. "I bet the Dark Lord would love to hear about this."

Hermione stared at him in horror, "You won't dare to…" she uttered, but he interrupted her.

"Relax, Granger, it's none of my business. Initiative is always punishable so I am not about to volunteer information and stick my head into the lion's mouth." She relaxed visibly but he continued. "But still. I never understood why Potter was dumped with the Muggles in the first place. I bet there were plenty of people who would have loved to take him in. But Dumbledore decided otherwise."

"He put Harry with his only living relatives," she objected meekly knowing full well that the Dursleys had never treated Harry like a relative but she felt she needed to say something to defend Dumbledore.

"And some relatives they are," he drawled, "judging by the rags he wears as clothes."

Hermione could not take his patronizing tone, "Why do you care Malfoy?" she hissed. "Not everybody is so much into their looks like you."

He smirked, "Don't get defensive on me, Granger, you know I am right. Potter is nowhere ready to fight the Dark Lord. And it's Dumbledore's fault. He goes around pretending to be a Muggle lover but all he does is make sure that the divide never disappears. Think about this, until the age of 11 wizards and muggleborns are brought up completely differently. Then the latter are thrust into the midst of wizardian society, they have no idea about this world, its traditions and etiquette. So it's not surprising that they are resented by many in the wizardian world who think that there should be wizard-studies instead of the Muggle-studies at Hogwarts. And as for Potter he for surely should have been trained from the young age, it would give him at least some confidence."

His every word was hitting straight home with Hermione. She had thought so many times about the same things but had never voiced them openly. And now hearing it from Malfoy had showed her that not only Harry's friends noticed his horrible clothes and lack of confidence. These thoughts made her angry and she took a deep breath to regain her cool. "Whatever you say, Malfoy," she replied coolly, "but how about my offer? Are you going to teach me or not?"

His face immediately resumed its blank expression. And Hermione waited with baited breath but Malfoy remained quiet.

He had a lot to think about. If he agreed, that would mean a real betrayal of his father and Voldemort. If they ever found out he would probably pay with his life. At the same time, she was right, helping her and indirectly the Boy-Who-Lived, would give him a lot of leverage with the Light side. Did the benefit outweigh the risks?

He turned to Granger, "I need to think about it," he stated simply. He could see how relief washed over her. "I will let you know after the weekend," he precluded her question and with a swish of his robes he was gone.

It was a very nervous weekend for Hermione. She had no idea what his reply was going to be. The fact that he did not say "no" outright gave her hope but she was scared to read too much into this. Harry had his first class with Snape on Thursday and his state afterwards made Hermione worried.

Monday could not come fast enough for her though she dreaded what it would bring. The note appeared on her desk during the Ancient Ruins class. It was written in neat black letters and had 4 words.

"_Same place, same time."_

Now it was he who had arrived first. When she made her way up the steps he was leaning against the wall. She looked at him and again was frustrated that she could not read anything on his handsome face.

"Hi," she said not wanting to ask the question.

A smirk appeared on his face, "I have thought about your proposition." He was obviously stretching time enjoying her nervousness. She was so tired of worrying that she just wanted it to be over, so she lifted her chin and looked at him defiantly.

"And what have you decided?" she asked keeping her tone neutral.

Malfoy's smirk remained firmly in place though she thought for a second she saw a flicker of appreciation in his eyes. "My answer is "yes"," he finally drawled. Her heart soared but then he added, "There is one condition, though."

A smile disappeared from her face.

"You will owe me a debt of honour, which means that I could ask you for a favour and you don't have the right to say "no"." Before she could object, he continued, "There will be restrictions so that I can't ask you to kill or physically hurt somebody or request that you betrayed the Order of the Phoenix but otherwise everything goes."

It was Hermione's turn to think hard. It was not unexpected to her that Malfoy wanted something in return. But to give him such promise would be very dangerous. But what choice did she have? Harry needed help and Malfoy was the only one who could provide it. Plus it would be another stepping stone in her plan to turn him to the light side. The plan had been forming in her head for a while. Ever since their first meeting at the HMV store Hermione was thinking that if Draco Malfoy turned to the Light side and became a spy for the Order it would make their lives so much easier. She knew that the chances of that were very slim but it was too good opportunity to not at least try.

"Fine," she said finally, "though I will come up with a definition of the debt and restrictions."

He nodded in agreement and pushed himself off the wall. "Meet me on Wednesday evening after dinner in the Room of Requirement. We'll sort the contract out then." He pulled a book out of his bag and handed it to her. "It's one of my Grandfather's books. Read chapters 1 to 3 before Wednesday." She looked at the cover which said, "Ancient Ruins, lever 6." She lifted her eyes and saw him smirk. "As you said it's classified as Dark Arts, so I added a little charm to it. Don't lose the book." And with these words he disappeared leaving Hermione to ponder, what she had just got herself into.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Reviews are warmly welcomed.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Wednesday came along a lot sooner than Hermione wanted and at the same time not soon enough. On the one hand, Harry urgently needed help, his screams keeping the Gryffindor House awake during the nights. But on the other hand, she was dreading the lessons with Malfoy. What if she had made a mistake and fell into a carefully constructed trap - the consequences could be catastrophic.

The constant worrying made her very tired and irritated. She snapped at Ron and Harry and after repeatedly asking if something was wrong and receiving no answer, they decided that it was that time of the month and left her alone.

On Wednesday Hermione arrived to the corridor in front of the Room of Requirement and stopped not knowing if she should try to go in or wait for Malfoy. She did not have to hesitate for long as the named Slytherin had rounded the corner and walked straight to her. He nodded at her as a greeting and walked a couple of times in front of the room. The door had appeared and without saying a word to each other the two Prefects went inside.

Hermione did not know what to expect, however, the room was fairly non descript. It looked like a comfortable study with a large desk, two chairs and a large glass pensive. Malfoy dropped his bag in the corner and came up to the desk.

"First things first," he said pulling out a piece of parchment out of his robes, "I've prepared a contract. You are welcome to read it and to add the limitation clause."

Hermione picked up the contract, she read it very carefully looking for any loopholes but it seemed to be constructed perfectly. She then pulled out a parchment where she had written a limitation clause. It took her almost all night and numerous drafts to come up with final definition. The first version was thirty feet of parchment long and contained anything that she could possibly think of from committing suicide to dying her hair.

She cut it down knowing full well that Malfoy would never agree the limitation clause that at most would make her do his Charms homework for a week. The result was a simple paragraph that limited the contract to the personal effects and actions of Hermione Granger that would not bring any harm on anyone else. She was not sure that he would agree to that but wanted to try nonetheless. Now she was waiting with baited breath as Malfoy read the document she handed him. To her surprise he did not say anything and simply nodded in agreement. He then pulled out a quill and handed it to her.

"Thank you," she shook her head, "I have my own."

He smirked, "It's not a simple quill, Granger, this one will ensure that you will sign the contract with your blood. It's a usual practice for debt of honour contracts, didn't you know?"

Hermione suppressed the irritation growing in her. Of course, she knew but she had hoped that he would not follow the rules to the letter. The fact that he so easily agreed to her definition of the limitation clause made her feel uneasy: as if he already had something in mind and just checked that the restrictions did not affect his plans. Not having a blood bond on the contract would have been a nice loophole but alas Malfoy did not give her such opportunity.

She took his quill and paused, doubts blossoming in her heart. Hermione was a very bright witch, but she was very well aware that she was no match to the Slytherin boy when it came to cunning and manipulativeness. Owing him a debt of honour would most likely bring her into trouble.

He seemed to have read her thoughts. "It's not too late to back off, Granger," his voice was completely emotionless. She looked up and met his beautiful grey eyes. "I don't really care," he shrugged his shoulders. "If you don't want to do it, just say so, would save both of us a lot of bother." His mouth twisted into a wry smile, "Is Potter worth being indebted to me?

For a second Harry's tired face stood in front of her. He'd been having nightmares every day since his Occlumency lesson with Snape and it tore her heart to see his emerald eyes so dull and lifeless. She picked up the quill and signed her name. Without a second wait Malfoy muttered a spell and a duplicate appeared.

"That's settled then," he said. "Now," he pointed at the pensive, "extract any memories related to Potter's hiding places, friends, and relatives, anything that could be dangerous if his enemies were to find out. I would not try to break your mind on purpose but I don't want to risk having such information."

Hermione nodded and began to extract her memories. While she was doing it Malfoy just set in the chair looking out the window. At some point he snapped his fingers and a soft calming music filled the room. When Hermione finished, she stood up and sat opposite him.

He did not turn to her but she heard his voice,

"The first part of the exercise would be for you to learn to relax and empty your mind." Hermione dutifully tried to relax her muscles but she found it difficult. She felt nervous being alone with Malfoy. She moved on the chair wanting to say something. But he lifted his hand. "Granger, you have to learn to trust me. Otherwise there is no point for us continuing. That's why Potter has no luck with Snape. Now stop wriggling and try to relax, close your eyes and listen to the music, imagine you are lying on a warm sand, the sea is just beyond your toes, you can hear the sound of waves, now the water reaches your ankles, it's very warm and makes all your muscles relaxed." He continued talking his voice deepening, the words reverberating around the room like smooth velvet and Hermione almost against her will felt how her eyelids become heavy as the tension in her muscles started to disappear.

Draco watched her from the corner of his eye. She had finally stopped shifting and her breathing had slowed down. He was pleased with the results and a little surprised that it happened so easily. Him and Granger were not the best of friends and did not trust each other but she seemed to have overcome her fears, which raised all sort of interesting questions in his head. However, he did not have time to dwell on them too long. It was time to build on the first success. "Now, imagine your mind as a grass field, it's soft and warm and there is nobody there. Now start building a wall around it, brick by brick. At first it's just as high as your ankle."

The lesson continued without much trouble and when Hermione returned to her dorm she was a lot calmer than she had been in a while. Over the next month her and Malfoy met twice a week for the Occlumency training, she could feel herself progressing and had already started teaching Harry bits and pieces.

She was worried initially that he would ask questions on how she had come to know Occlumency. But it seemed that Harry was too tired to care and was willing to try anything and everything that might provide relief to his exhausted mind. Her reputation as a brilliant bookworm had helped as well, since everybody was convinced that Hermione Granger could learn everything from a book.

Her main surprise was that the Slytherin turned out to be a very good teacher. He was patient and could explain the most complicated theories in very simple terms. Though they spent quite a lot of time alone she had not learnt much about Malfoy. He pointedly kept her at arms length and all the talking between them was only about Occlumency and occasionally their other classes and homework.

His attitude towards her during their normal lessons had somewhat changed for the better, though she doubted that anybody had noticed. He very rarely threw insults at her directly mostly concentrating on her classmates and simply ignoring her. She could feel that he was avoiding her and she also started making an effort to stay out of his way. Sometimes she was tempted to ask him during their tête-à-tête classes why was he now so determined to avoid her but she was scared to break that fragile status-quo that they had established.

It all changed five weeks after she started her Occlumency training. Hermione arrived to the Room-of-Requirement straight after dinner. She did not wait for Malfoy this time since they had already established a routine when she would show up on time and start extracting her memories into the pensive. The Slytherin would arrive ten minutes later when she was already done and they would begin the training.

However this time when Hermione entered the room she was surprised to see Malfoy sitting in one of the chairs looking what Hermione could only describe deliciously dishevelled. His tie was lying next to him with two top buttons of his shirt opened showing his well defined chest. In his hand he nursed something resembling Moody's flask. He looked up at her and his mouth twisted into a wry smile.

"Ah, Granger," he drawled, "right on time as usual." His eyes swept up and down her figure, "Are you always that punctual even if you have a date?"

Hermione's eyes narrowed as she surveyed him, "Malfoy, are you drunk?"

He shook his head, "Not even close," he grinned, "but I sincerely hope that would change by the end of the evening." He lifted the flask towards her, "30 year old Fire Whiskey. But," he got up and headed towards her, "first we have a task to do."

Hermione eyed him suspiciously, "If you are not in the mood we can postpone," she suggested carefully.

His face clouded, "Granger, who gave you the impression that I was ever in the mood for these lessons? I want them over and done with as much as you do if not more. So let's not waste time." He nodded towards the pensive.

Hermione stood still, she was not going to be intimidated like this, "I am not having Occlumency training with you while you are not 100 sober," she stated adamantly.

His eyes sparkled with impatience and she was glad to see that he was not devoid of human emotions. "Granger, I am not drunk. I am not one of the mindless idiots you are used to and know the dangers of Occlumency better than you. If you want, cast an alcohol test on me."

He was standing very close to her, closer than he had ever done in the past and she had found it very unnerving. Hermione raised her wand and muttered an incantation. A spark of yellow light shot from her wand and when reached him turned blue, indicating that he was well below the alcohol limit.

His lips twisted into a sarcastic smile, "Satisfied now?" he drawled.

She nodded trying to hide how uncomfortable he made her. She went to the pensive and completed her preparations. When she turned back to Malfoy the mask of a cold teacher was firmly back and their training session went without a hitch. However, when they were finished, instead of sweeping straight past her and out the door, he plopped in the chair and took a generous sip from his flask.

From the corner of her eye Hermione studied him, his eyes had lost their blank expression and were now filled with emotions: weariness and loneliness and something she could not identify. Her first reaction was to leave and she was almost at the door when she changed her mind. This was the first time during their classes when he betrayed to her having any emotions behind his cool façade. She had to use this opportunity to at least try to break through his defences if she ever had a chance to understand what was driving him. And by God, she needed to understand him, otherwise she had no chance of ever turning him over to the Light side.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked.

He looked at her as if he just realised she was still there, his lips twisted into a wry smile, "What could possible be wrong, Granger?" he asked, though in stead of sarcastic his words sounded tired.

She shook her head, "I don't know," she avoided answering his question directly, "But if you would like to talk to somebody," she paused trying to find right words, "well, I will be willing to listen. And," she paused again, "I promise I won't tell anyone."

His eyes bored into her as if he was trying to read her soul, which Hermione thought, he probably could do, though she could not detect any prying into her mind. "Why?" he asked finally and she just stared at him.

"What why?"

"Why would you be willing to listen to me" he explained his question, "I have made your life miserable for the last five years. I am a son of a known Death Eater and an archenemy of your two best friends? Do I need to continue?"

She shook her head, "No, I get it." She hesitated, "Because, none of us deserves this. Slytherin or Gryffindor, we should be busy studying and dating not preparing for war. We've been forced to make difficult choices. And sometimes talking to friends does not help, because their reaction is tainted by their feelings for you. Somebody who is not too close but could be trusted will give you an objective answer and perhaps even help. And," she paused and took a deep breathe, "I can be this somebody for you if you want me to."

His eyes widened and for a second he did not say anything. And then he smiled; a first genuine smile she had ever seen from him. It completely transformed his face turning his normally cold eyes into the pools of sparkling silver. "Every time, I think I have figured you out, you seem to do or say something completely unexpected."

"And this is a good thing?" his smile was infectious and she could not keep her own off her face.

"Definitely," he stepped closer to her and his face sobered up. "But for now, go to your dorm, Granger."

She was surprised by his sudden change of subject. "OK," she said hurt obvious in her tone.

"It's not that I don't appreciate your offer," he added quietly, "but there is nothing you can help me with." His eyes flashed with something she could not decipher. And he turned away from her. She picked up her bag and went to the door. Just before she opened it she heard his voice, "Thank you."

**Reviews are very welcome.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It's been two weeks since that memorable training session with Malfoy. Hermione had progressed further than she had expected and so did Harry. He learnt to close his mind enough that he could at least get some sleep. Draco had tried Legilimency on her several times and she bared it quite well. Their lessons had returned to the pattern they had before their conversation, if anything the Slytherin had become even more distant. He pushed her harder at every session as if in a hurry to finish her training and it was bothering her.

In class Malfoy was a lot more reserved and she often found him sitting somewhere alone or with Blaise Zabini, a quiet Italian who looked like an Ancient Greek god and to her knowledge was second in command to Malfoy in the unofficial hierarchy of the Slytherin House. Malfoy's behaviour did not go unnoticed and Harry was convinced that he was up to something. Hermione did not want to speculate on the subject. Ever since she started her training with Malfoy she preferred not to discuss him with her friends in case she said something that would give her away.

After Sirius's death she noticed that Harry became more and more fanatical in his hate of Malfoy. The fact that the Slytherin was a nephew of Bellatrix did not make matters any better. That made Hermione realise that if Harry and Ron ever found out that she was learning Occlumency from Malfoy using the books that were classified as Dark Arts, they would go ballistic and probably stop trusting her all together.

With these thoughts she arrived to her training sessions. Malfoy showed up late and they went through all the exercises and had several practice sessions. After she successfully sent him of track for the third time, he put his wand in his pocket and nodded approvingly.

"Very good, Granger," he said. "I think you've mastered Occlumency more than enough to help Potter and there is no need for these training sessions anymore. Just keep practicing regularly and you'll be fine."

His statement did not come unexpected and she nodded in agreement. "Yes, I think you're right." She pulled out the books he gave her out of her bag. "That's yours," she said quietly.

He took the books from her, picked up his bag and headed to the door. Just as he reached it he turned around. "You're a good friend, Granger, and Potter is lucky to have you by his side. I just hope he realises this."

Hermione was surprised by his words, "He does," she replied blushing lightly and then continued quickly before she could stop herself, "My offer still stands, if you ever need to talk to somebody, I will listen…"

He shook his head and a wry sad smile touched his lips, "Don't promise anything to me, Granger. Try, for once, to act like a Slytherin and think of yourself and not others. You already have a debt of honour to me, that's more than enough and could land you in no end of trouble. From now on you should stay away from me and forget what little you know about me. We are on opposite sides of this war. And it's not in your power to change it."

With these words he left and Hermione was alone in the Room-of-Requirement. His words made her feel even worse than before. It was obvious that he was trying to warn her and she knew he was right. But it made her feel more and more angry at the world that they were thrust into.

That night she could not sleep. She admitted to herself that she was disappointed in how her Occlumency lessons ended. But she could not for surely say what the reasons behind this disappointment were. Was it purely because she now did not have a legitimate reason to keep trying to understand Draco Malfoy psyche enough to attempt turning him to the Light side? Or was she regretting the fact that he so obviously did not want anything to do with her?

For the first time in her life Hermione felt confused and not sure of what to do. And what made matters worse was that she had nobody to confide in. Harry and her had become more distant ever since their fight about the potions book. He had become almost obsessed with it and did not want to listen to any of her warnings. In spite of that she continued her training with Harry in Occlumency and he had improved dramatically, now being able to properly close his mind. Associated relaxation exercises helped him to control his temper and all together it had lead to Harry being in a lot better mood, which also was helped by regular letters that arrived for him. Nobody knew who they were from but the grin that was plastered on his face after reading them was definitely a good thing in his friends' books. The only person who was not too happy about it was Ginny but Hermione could not do a thing about it.

Similarly she could not do anything about her relationship with Ron. After what seemed like very promising summer when they shared a couple of kisses, they seemed to be drifting apart again. Ron and her were always very different, they bickered a lot, had very little common interests and completely different tempers. But now more often than not, Ron drove her up the wall with his stubbornness, mood swings and increased jealousy. In the dead of night when she was all alone with her thoughts she started to think that perhaps her and Ron were not meant to be. However, come morning she would push these thoughts away. She was not the one to give up easy. She was by no means an expert in the relationships but it was well known that opposites attract and her and Ron would be a perfect example of that.

It was almost morning when Hermione finally managed to fall asleep. Luckily it was Saturday and she managed to have a few hours sleep before a Quidittich game between Gryffindors and Hufflepuff. By late afternoon Gryffindors were celebrating a first win of the season and the common room was full of laughter and loud conversations. Hermione had been talking to Ginny; they were both drinking butterbeers and chatting about the game. Ron came over to them and set next to Hermione putting one hand around her shoulders.

"How are my two favourite girls doing?" he asked.

Ginny smiled at him, "We are fine, Ron," she replied. "And in order to maintain a status of your favourite girl, I am going to get up now and go talk to Harry." She gave Hermione a wink and disappeared in the crowd.

Watching her go, Hermione felt his hand tightened on her shoulder as he scooted closer to her. She felt uncomfortable suspecting that if he pulled her any closer she would be sitting on his lap with all the Gryffindors to watch them. She turned to him about to ask to give her some space when a smell of fire whiskey assaulted her senses. She pulled away from him, her nose wrinkling in distaste. "You really needed to get drunk for this?" she asked.

Ron smiled at her, "I am not drunk, Mione, just a bit of liquid courage."

The sound of the nickname that she absolutely hated and asked him numerous times not to use fuelled her irritation further. She shrugged off his hand, "Courage for what?" she shot, "Grope me in the middle of the common room?"

His face turned red, "Well, it's not like you'll invite me to your dorm?!" he retorted.

"And why should I?" she was inwardly seething but tried to maintain a demeanour of calm.

"Because I am your bloody boyfriend," he yelled attracting attention of the others around them. "Because I deserve a space in your busy schedule of studying, studying and, oh-oh what else, studying again. I deserve more then holding hands under the table and a peck on the cheek when you feel like it. For God's sake, Hermione, there are other pleasures in life except books and I would like to experience some of them. But it looks like my girlfriend is too frigid for that."

By now the whole common room was staring at them. Hermione's face flamed red, tears of humiliation and hurt forming in her eyes. Without another word she turned on her hills and ran to the door. Somebody tried to halt her but she took out her wand and sent a hex towards the figure not even stopping to check if it reached the target. When she was out the door, she ran as fast as she could, tears streaming down her face. She had to be alone, she needed to be alone, somewhere where no one else could find her. She arrived to the third floor and paced back and forth in front of the Room of Requirement. In her head she imagined it as it was when she had her classes with Malfoy. When the door appeared Hermione rushed through it and stopped dead in her tracks. The room looked exactly like during her Occlumency training sessions to the point that the blond Slytherin was sitting behind the desk surrounded by mountains of books.

He lifted his head to her and his eyes widened in surprise, "Granger?" he uttered in disbelief. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Hermione just stared at him, blinking away tears so she could make sure that her vision did not deceive her. Why was he here? This was not supposed to happen. If the room was occupied it should have just not opened for anybody else.

"Granger," he got up from the desk and headed towards her. "How did you get in here?" She could hear tension in his voice, his grey eyes searching her face suspiciously.

"I don't know," she replied gruffly, "I came here to be alone. I imagined the room like it was during our training sessions. I did not think this was possible. I…" She could see that he was not convinced. "Oh, come on, Malfoy," she sighed exasperatedly, "I am not spying on you. I just wanted to be alone. Can't you see it from my face?"

He took in her appearance. Hermione winced inwardly. She probably looked a sight with wild hair from running and red, tear stricken face. After a second he relaxed visibly. "Boy trouble?" he asked casually taking a step back from her.

"None of you business," she replied grumpily.

He chuckled. "What did Weasel do this time?" he asked heading back to the desk and starting to collect his books.

Hermione did not reply. It was bad enough that he'd seen her like that; there was no need to give him more ammunition. Malfoy did not seem to notice her unwillingness to discuss the subject. "I don't know why you are wasting your time on him?" he continued. "I mean he is a pureblood but that's probably the only thing in his favour. He is not good looking, nor particularly bright, has absolutely no manners and is jealous of everything and everybody. I did not think you were that desperate."

She could not take it any more. "Shut up," she covered the space between them in seconds, "just shut up. Who gives you the right to lecture me? Not everybody is deprived of any human emotion like you. Some of us actually like to be loved and cared for. And Ron is ten times the man you are. At least he has blood in his veins, not snake venom." She glared at him expecting an angry retort but he just smirked.

"I can see that somebody has her knickers in a twist," he drawled, "what did he do? Cheat on you or said you were no good in bed?" Her arm shot up to slap him but he caught her wrist. "Easy, Granger," his voice lost its sarcasm, "I am not the one you are angry with. I suspect that it's not even Weasley you are mostly mad at, but yourself for caring about him. Don't waste your emotions on him, he's not worth it." His grip on her wrist loosened and his thumb trailed the palm of her hand. All fight left her and before she could stop herself: she flunked her other arm around his neck and cried into his chest. She did not notice how he stiffened. Then very slowly almost as if against his will, his other arm wrapped around her shoulders. If anybody had entered the Room of Requirement, they would have been treated to an unbelievable sight. The Slytherin Prince stood with his hand wrapped around the Gryffindor Princes - turmoil of emotions on his usually perfectly controlled face.

Draco had no idea what to do. First of all he hated when women cried. He very rarely had to deal with it being part of the pureblood aristocracy where having excellent control over emotions was an unwritten law. Even though his mother had her rare moments of weakness she never cried like that. A few tears would role down her cheeks and she would wipe them away with a silk handkerchief. Granger on the other hand was shaking with sobs and had already completely soaked his shirt. At the same time he was completely taken aback that she could break down like this in front of him and was now clinging to him for dear life. It made a lot more difficult to think about her as just an annoying Gryffindor know-it-all and moved her into a category of a beautiful girl with soft body and silky hair. This was so no good. Merlin knew he always despised that idiot Weasley but now Draco wanted to curse him to the end of the earth for putting him into such position.

The Slytherin never had a problem finding girls to pursue and he always made sure that whomever he chose was from his circle. He did not need extra headaches and there was plenty of fish in his end of the pond. Everybody else he simply ignored. However, this year Granger was determined to make it more difficult for him. They spent too much time one to one. And he was fascinated by the glimpses of her mind that he'd seen during their Occlumency classes. That's why he made sure to stay the hell away from her. But now he got exposed to a completely different side of her - a strong and passionate girl who wanted to love and be loved without holding anything back. This was so not what he needed right now. However, he could not bring himself to pull away from her. Instead he started stroking her hair whispering comforting nothingness. She responded to the soothing sounds by placing both hands around his neck and burying her face deeper into his chest. The day was not going well for Draco.

Hermione finally stopped crying and pulled away from him avoiding meeting his gaze. She wanted to die from embarrassment. How could she break down like this in front of Malfoy of all people! She had thrown herself into his arms and drenched his shirt with tears. Said shirt was now clinging to his chest giving her a very good view of his muscles. Hermione shook her head. Oh, how much did she want to crawl into a nearest hole and die and even more she wanted to nestle herself into Draco's arms and relive the feeling of complete safety she experienced there! Fortunately or unfortunately for her it was highly unlikely that either of her wishes would be granted.

"I am sorry," she muttered not knowing what else to say.

"Don't mention it," he replied feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

"I will dry your shirt," she pulled out her wand but he stopped her.

"Better not," and when she looked at him questioningly, explained, "Magic is linked to emotions. The way you're right now you could easily set me on fire. I'll do it myself."

She nodded embarrassed. He muttered a drying spell. Then picked up his robes and bag," The room is all yours now." He could not wait to leave.

She nodded and finally looked up into his face. His expression was clouded but otherwise unreadable. Hermione took a deep breath, "Thank you," she said, "I am normally not that emotional. It's just," she paused, "got a bit much."

The Slytherin looked at her strangely, mixed emotions written on his face. Hermione was not sure what it was. Anger? Fear? Longing? Then his cold mask slipped back into place. "As I said, don't mention it," he muttered and then added in a raised voice, "Really, Granger, Don't You Ever Mention This!" Before she could add anything else he disappeared through the door.

**Please review**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A week later Hermione was lying in her bed wide awake again as time approached midnight. She swore under her breath and turned on her back to stare at the ceiling. Her head felt ready to explode with all the thoughts and feelings that the night in the Room of Requirement awoke in her.

Though Ron and her had made up, Hermione felt that something had irrevocably changed in their relationship. When she had got back to the common room that night, Ginny, Harry and Ron were all waiting for her. The latter had profusely apologized though part of her had been questioning just how sincere that apology had been and how much of it had been caused by a steely look in Harry's emerald eyes. Hermione was so tired and so much wanted to go up to her dorm to think over her encounter with the blond Slytherin that she accepted his apologies and the reasons that he quoted for his behaviour of having too much to drink. The rational part of her though could not forget the old Muggle saying that what the sober thought, the drunk said aloud. Afterwards both she and her friends acted as if nothing had happened but it was far from that at least for her.

She could not get out of her head the way Malfoy had held her in his arms and how safe and secure she felt in his embrace. In the dead of the night she could still feel his arms wrapped around her and his warm body pressed against hers so closely. These thoughts kept her awake and even when she did fall asleep the images of the blond haired boy haunted her dreams. Realising that it was already well past midnight Hermione decided that if she wanted to do anything constructive in class the next day, it was time to take action.

Being a Prefect had its benefits and five minutes later she arrived to the private bathroom. The door was locked though there was no light coming out. She muttered Allohomora and it quietly opened. Hermione stepped inside and froze. The moon light was flooding the room and in its uneven brightness she saw Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini hovering over unconscious figure of Pansy Parkinson. Her entrance did not come unnoticed and both Slytherins turned to her. For what seemed like ages the three of them stared at each other. Then Malfoy stepped forward and hissed.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I," she stuttered, "I came here to take a bath." His eyes sparkled furiously and she could almost feel him fighting to control his emotions. Part of her wanted to turn round and run away as fast as she could but her Gryffindor courage did not let her. She lifted her head and looked at him calmly, "It's a Prefect's bathroom after all. The question is what are you doing here?"

This time it was Zabini who answered, "This is none of your businesses, Granger. You are not the only Prefect here. Just be a good girl for once and go back to wherever the hell you came from."

These harsh words from the mouth of the quiet Slytherin could have greatly surprised Hermione if she did not read the emotion behind them, Blaise was scared. She ignored him and turned to Malfoy, "You should take her to the hospital wing," she said pointing to Pansy Parkinson.

Before she could even finish the last word Malfoy moved to her with a speed of lightening and grabbed her by the arm. The warmth of his fingers had an immediate effect on her, making her cheeks flare and her body shiver. "She will not go to the hospital wing," his hard glare pinned her down, "and you will not whisper a word of this to anyone, do you understand me, Granger?" She was too shocked by her own reaction to the physical contact to reply and just stared silently into his grey eyes that had a dangerous warning glint in them. The next moment his face came even closer so she could feel his warm breath on her cheek, "Do you understand me?"

His eyes were boring into her as if he wanted to get straight into her soul. They made her want to promise him anything and everything but her mind refused to submit to such obvious intimidation. Suddenly from the corner of her eyes she noticed Blaise moving closer to them his wand out. She realized that she had not much choice. Blaise was famous at Hogwarts for his ability to perform memory charms. If she did not swear to keep their secret he would simply obliviate her and Hermione had to avoid it at all costs. So she nodded her agreement and when neither Slytherin moved, muttered quietly, "Fine, I promise, now let go of me." Malfoy and Zabini exchanged quick glances and stepped aside.

Hermione shook herself and tried to regain her composure. She looked at Blaise who was again hovering over still unconscious Pansy.

"What's wrong with her?" she asked. The two Slytherins exchanged glances and Hermione lost her patience. "Or, grow up," she moved towards them, "I am not going to tell anyone, I have already promised. And you need help."

She bent down and touched the Slytherin's girl cheek, which even to her felt too cold. Hermione had grown up in the house with two doctors and though her parents were dentist the simple first aid checks were drilled into her from a very young age. She reached for the pulse point, "How long has she been like that?"

"About half an hour," It was Blaise who answered her.

Hermione got her wand out and muttered, "Innervate." Nothing happened.

"If it was that simple, Granger, we would not be here," Blaise replied irritably.

Hermione just shrugged, "What happened to her?" The Italian shot a quick glance at Malfoy, who simply nodded.

"She's been hit by a couple of Cruciatuses'," Zabini's voice was clipped.

Hermione looked at him in horror, "Who…" she started but the dark look from Malfoy shut her up. She performed a few quick medical testing charms but with not much luck. This made her frown. "This does not look good," she muttered finally, "It looks like…" she stopped.

But Malfoy was not in the mood to wait, "Looks like what?" he demanded.

Hermione sighed, "It looks like a shock reaction." He stared at her surprised. "It is very rare," Hermione defended herself, "but it does happen. And it is dangerous, if not helped, she could die."

"How do you know that?" Blaise blurted.

Hermione hesitated but replied, "After the 4th year I've read everything there was about the three unforgivables. It was in one of the Healers manuals. If you don't want to take her to the hospital wing, you should go get Snape, he might have the potion she needs. In any case, she needs help and none of us will be able to provide it."

The two Slytherins exchanged quick glances and then Malfoy spoke up, "Go get Snape, Blaise, and hurry up." With a slight nod the Italian was gone and Hermione looked up at Draco.

"You should go," he said quietly.

She nodded but did not move. Her mind was busy processing all the information. "What happened to her, Draco?" she repeated her question. He sighed exasperatedly but she continued, "I mean she is one of you, why would anybody…" she stopped and looked up at him.

His face was expressionless but his eyes looked weary and haunted. He was about to say something but then changed his mind, "You should go," he repeated.

Anger flared in her, "Don't tell me what to do," she cried out standing up, "this is what I was talking about in summer. How… How could you support somebody who does this to people? And not just to people but to one of his own?"

Again he surprised her with the quickness of his movements and was now standing right in front of her, "Don't talk about things you have no idea about, Granger," he hissed in her face. "The world is not black and white, like you, Gryffindors, like to think. Life is not that simple."

"Then explain it to me!" she yelled in his face. "I know that there is something going on and I know that you don't like it one bit. That's why you wanted to get drunk that evening and that's why you were out of Hogwarts tonight and this," she pointed at the girl lying on the floor, "is the result. So you should think hard about what the hell you're doing because you won't be able to avoid making a real choice for much longer."

She suddenly stopped realising that perhaps she went too far. Malfoy's face contorted in fury. Hermione shrunk back fully expecting him to hex her. But his head suddenly snapped towards the door and the next moment he pushed her under the bench and covered it with his cloak. "Don't make a sound," he hissed.

The next moment the door opened and she heard a voice of her potion's teacher, "Mr Malfoy."

"Professor." There was a pause, then Snape's voice asked,

"Did it happen during the Initiation?"

"Yes," it was Blaise.

"How many did she get?"

"Three," Blaise's voice dropped down a notch.

Snape muttered something incoherently, and then his voice sounded again, "Did she collapse in the main hall?"

"No," this time it was Draco who replied, "She staggered out and we followed her."

"Did Mr Parkinson see her before you left?"

"No," Malfoy's voice was clipped, "He left with the new Mrs Parkinson."

Snape again grunted something under his breath. There was a pause and then Hermione heard a sigh.

"Miss Parkinson," Snape's voice sounded determined, "Miss Parkinson," he repeated.

"Professor," answered a groggy voice.

"Miss Parkinson, do you know where you are?"

There was a pause, "Hogwarts, I think it's a Prefect's bathroom."

Relief washed over Hermione and she heard a simultaneous release of breath from the three men in the room.

"Do you remember what happened?" Snape asked again.

There was a deep sigh and then a sob, "Yes…"

There was another pause, then Snape spoke up, "Mr Malfoy, Mr Zabini, take Miss Parkinson to the Slytherin dorms. Miss Parkinson you should rest tomorrow, I will inform the teachers that you would not be in class. Also take this bottle, make sure that you have it on you at all times and take a zip each time you are likely to have similar experiences as this evening. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, thank you, Professor," Parkinson's reply sounded more like a choke.

There was a rustling sound which Hermione took as Snape leaving. The Gryffindor was not sure what she had to do next, when she heard Malfoy's voice.

"Blaise, will you help Pansy to get to the dorms?"

"Sure," came a calm reply.

"Draco," Pansy's voice was full of worry, "where are you going?"

"I'll be up in a minute, Pans," Hermione was surprised hearing a soft note to his tone she's never heard him use before. "Just want to make sure we did not leave anything behind."

"OK," she heard the sound of steps and then the door closing.

Next moment the cloak was pulled off from the bench and she heard Malfoy's voice, "You can get out now, Granger."

She climbed up from under the bench and straightened up. She looked up at him but he did not meet her eyes. He pushed his hair out of his eyes and was busy fastening his clock.

Hermione did not know what to say and just stood there. He finally looked up at her and smirked, "I hope you understand that it would be better for both of us if no one, even Parkinson, found out that you were here tonight."

She nodded but then a thought struck her, "Wait, what about Snape, how do you know that Zabini has not already told him?!"

"Has Snape asked for you? No." Malfoy waved his hand dismissively, "Blaise is a Slytherin; we don't volunteer information unnecessarily."

His arrogant manner annoyed Hermione and she lifted her chin, "Good for you", she smirked, "As for me, I've already told you that I am not going to say anything. I always keep my promises."

"Good," he turned around and headed to the door. Just before opening it he added, "Granger, if I were you I would try to stay out of the situations like today. It will do no good to any of us."

She looked at him indignantly, "If I stayed out of this particular situation, you friend could have died," she replied haughtily.

"Maybe," his lips twisted into a sarcastic smile, "You don't need to remind me, Granger about your role tonight. I am fully aware that I owe you one and I will be waiting for the occasion when you call me on it." With these words he disappeared and Hermione was left alone in the bathroom.

"Ungrateful git," she muttered under her breath and headed back to her dorm.

**Many thanks to everybody who has reviewed this story so far. I look forward to comments for this chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

It's been three weeks since Hermione's eventful attempt to take a late night bath. Nothing much happened during this time except for a letter that appeared in front of her during breakfast the morning after. It was delivered by one of the school's owls and had two words.

_Thank you.f_

_B._

The moment she read it the letter disintegrated in her hand and when she looked at the Slytherin table she caught the indigo eyes of Blaise Zabini. He nodded his head slightly and she replied the same way.

Since then both Malfoy and Zabini ignored her completely, however the number of insults, pranks and hexes thrown her way from the Slytherin side had diminished almost to a zero level. She was sure that it was Blaise's doing perhaps with a silent or maybe not so silent encouragement of Draco. She had no idea how did they achieve this but it confirmed her opinion that they had a very firm hold on the Slytherin house.

To the rest of the student their attitude did not change one bit though when Harry and Ron were with her, the similar unspoken truce seemed to be in place, hence significant decrease in the number of bruises and detentions for the two Gryffindors. This result had confirmed Hermione's belief that getting Malfoy to become at least neutral would make a big different to the lives of the trio in Hogwarts. If only she could turn him into an ally!!

She realised that she had a hell of a task ahead of her. Even if she was successful with Draco, Harry and Ron would not want anything to do with him with the redhead hating Malfoy with a passion and Harry being convinced that the Slytherin was up to something big. The lack of open confrontation between them only reinforced Harry's suspicions and he was resolved to keeping a very close watch on Draco.

On her own part, Hermione felt that the plan to turn Malfoy to the Light side had led her into a very dangerous territory. Before the incident in the Prefect's bathroom she could justify keeping her involvement with Malfoy secret because she had no direct evidence of any wrong doing on his part. Now she had concrete proof that there were Death Eaters inside the walls of Hogwarts, and it was unlikely that Pansy Parkinson was the only one.

Malfoy and Zabini were clearly attending gathering organised by Voldemort and the former was most likely charged with some secret task that he had been working on in the Room of Requirement. Hermione's conscience was telling her that she should inform Dumbledore about it but she knew that if she broke her promise to Draco to keep the thing with Pansy quiet, it would be the end of any hope of gaining his trust. Her only consolation was that Snape knew at least about the students of his house being Death Eaters and he, for surely, passed this information to the Order.

However, it did not change the worst part of the situation that she was lying to her best friends. If Harry ever found out just how much information about his archenemy she had been concealing he would no doubt accused her of betraying him and have a complete right to do so. But no matter how guilty she felt she could not bring herself to tell anyone. What she had seen of Draco Malfoy had changed her opinion of him. In stead of a spoilt, cowardly, cruel Daddy's boy, she saw a young man forced into a choice between a rock and a hard place, and desperately trying to keep himself, his friends and family out of the harms' way. And this had so much reminded her of Harry! What had also surprised her was that she discovered that the Slytherins could be caring and grateful, that they could cry and hurt as much as other students if the sunken face of Pansy Parkinson had anything to go by.

These thoughts made Hermione feel confused and there was absolutely nobody she could talk to about it. The separation between the Houses in Hogwarts had reached all times high. Gryffindors and Slytherins were at each others throats, Ravenclaws stayed out of everybody's way being afraid to pledge allegiance to a losing side, and Hufflepuffs did the same though for a simple hope of not being noticed.

Hogwarts was a gloom place and Hermione felt more isolated than ever. She felt guilty of not being honest with Harry and Ron but she could not bring herself to tell them the truth either. The only option left that could possible salvage the situation was to try and talk to Draco Malfoy. She had to find out what he was up to and moreover, the time had come to ask him point blank whether he would consider helping the Order.

Hermione had no doubt he was working on the task from Voldemort himself, and no matter how she felt, she could not risk Draco succeeding. So she would either have to bring him to the Light side or tell Dumbledore. She was fully aware that confronting the Slytherin Prince with such proposition would be incredibly risky: Malfoy was not the cowardly boy she once knew. But she felt it was worth a shot and every bit of information she pieced together, told her that there was a possibility, however remote, that she would succeed in turning him. And then perhaps there was a chance, a miniscule chance that he and her…

Hermione shook her head firmly. She could not, should not even think that… Her task was to turn Draco Malfoy to the Light. And she was going to do her damn best to succeed. With that decision firmly in her head Hermione set out on planning the execution of her plan. She needed to talk to Draco in a place that they would not be overheard but also somewhere that provided her with escape route in case things did not go well. Though she did not believe that the Slytherin would physically harm her, he was perfectly capable of obliviating her and she wanted to put some precautions in place.

By the end of the week Hermione became increasingly frustrated. It looked like Malfoy made it the mission of his life to avoid her at all costs. He was never alone in class or during Prefect's meetings, in the Great Hall or even in the corridors. A couple of time she tried to find him in the Room of Requirement but he was never there either. She considered sending him a letter like she did before but was convinced that this time he would not show up. It was as if he had read her thoughts and was doing his best to hamper her attempts.

Saturday arrived and Hermione was racking her brains on what to do next. It was a Hogsmead weekend and Ron had asked her to go with him. She agreed though her heart was not in it. Her cautious side was telling her that she was thinking too much about the blond Slytherin and such obsession even if not romantic was dangerous and stupid on her part.

So at eleven in the morning her and Ron were walking hand in hand down the main road heading towards the Shrieking Shack. They chatted a bit about classes, Ron talked about the upcoming Quidittich match and both of them laughed at how Harry was cornered into going to Hogsmead with a 6th year Ravenclaw. The day was dry and quite warm for the early November and Hermione was very much enjoying herself. They reached the vicinities of the Shrieking Shack and set down on a log. The conversation had died down and Hermione just enjoyed the peace and quiet. This silence was probably one thing she missed most from her parent's house. In Hogwarts there were always people around her. Her thoughts drifted to her childhood home and memories of how simple and trouble free her life was then.

"Hermione," Ron's voice interrupted her reverie, "I wanted to talk to you." She opened her eyes. He was obviously nervous and was biting his lip.

"What about?" she asked calmly trying to squash a bad feeling that formed in the pit of her stomach.

He shrugged nervously, "About us," he replied and continued quickly obviously worried that she would interrupt him. "Listen, I know that we have not had the best of times recently and it is my fault. I feel that we are drifting further and further apart. And…" he paused trying to find the right words, "I don't want this to happen. So I thought that perhaps if we talked, then maybe we could work it out."

The sinking feeling in Hermione's stomach had spread all over her body. She was surprised that Ron had started such a serious conversation. It was so out of character for him… She felt that she should have been happy that he had matured so much to be willing to talk about their issues. If this had happened in the beginning of the year, she would have been over the moon.

But now, Hermione felt guilty admitting it even to herself, her head was too busy with other things to think about her relationship with Ron. However she knew that she could not avoid this conversation. So she forced a smile on her face and replied as warmly as she could manage.

"Of course, Ron. Talking would be great."

The redhead grinned back at her. "All right, then." He smiled encouragingly at her. "What do you want to talk about?"

Hermione's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?" she mumbled.

"What do you want to talk about?" he repeated looking at her curiously. "I mean something must be bothering you. You were very uncomfortable in the common room. So is it that you don't like me doing anything in public? You know it's not a problem. We can always find an empty classroom."

Hermione could not believe her ears, anger ignited in her and she quickly stood up from the log.

"I can't believe you, Ronald Weasley," she cried out. "And here I thought that you had matured and really wanted to talk. But all you are interested in is what do you have to do so that you can make out with me!!"

Ron also got up from the log, his face turning red. "What do you want from me?" he yelled in reply. "We are fifteen f years old. I am not looking to discuss the wedding cake or the name of our third child. I like you. I want to be with you. And I thought you liked me too. But obviously this is not the case."

Hermione stared at him coldly, "I like you too, Ron. Or to put it correctly, I thought I liked you. You are one of my best friends and I thought that you wanted to have a relationship with me, something a bit deeper than making out in every single corner of Hogwarts. But it looks like I was mistaken." She turned and started walking away from him.

"You are not the only one," she heard him yell in her back. "Now I understand why Krum had broken up with you. If you can't even snog a guy, how the hell are you ever going to shag one."

She did not stop, did not quicken her step, just walked, head held high, tears streaming down her face. Once she was far enough that he could not possible see her, she ran as fast as she could, one thought hammering in her brain: she had to get to Hogwarts before everybody else returns. Then she could hide in her dorm… And no one would know how her former best friend had humiliated her.

She was already in the Castle and charging down an empty corridor when a classroom door opened and a tall figure had emerged. Hermione tried to avoid the collision by swirling to the side but the person turned towards the sound of steps and effectively blocked her pass.

"I see somebody is in a hurry," a familiar voice drawled and Hermione snapped her head up. Grey eyes, blond hair… Oh, Merlin… She mentally groaned. Somebody up there really did not like her. She had been searching for him all week, with absolutely no luck, and now when he was almost the last person she wanted to see (after Ron), Draco Malfoy was standing right in front of her. And it did not look like he was thrilled to see her either judging how his face soured when the recognition kicked in.

"Damn." Draco inwardly cursed. He was so good in avoiding her all week. He tolerated constant company to make sure that she would not corner him with her questions. He even did not go to Hogsmead just to get a break from everybody and especially her searching eyes. Only to bump into her like that!! And what the hell was she doing here?! Hadn't Weasel taken her on a date?! And then realisation hit him. He took in her appearance: flashed cheeks, glistering eyes and wind swept hair. _Déjà vu._ Bloody Weasley!! The words shot out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"You gotta be kidding me!" The glare he received made him fear for his life. If looks could kill, there would no longer be a Draco Malfoy.

"Shove off, Malfoy." She was ready to push him out of the way but just as she lifted her hands the sound of chattering came from around the corner ahead of them and simultaneously she heard a noise of footsteps from where she came from. Hermione looked back and forth like a deer in the headlights. Her only escape was the classroom but Malfoy still had his hand on the door. Without further thinking she grabbed his hand and dove into the classroom dragging him with her. The moment they were inside she pulled out her wand and sealed the entrance and only afterwards allowed herself a sigh of relief. She leaned against the door trying to catch her breath. The voices were now sounding a lot closer and then abruptly stopped.

"How could you do this, Ron?" an angry voice of Harry Potter was easily heard through the door. "I thought you loved her."

"I do," came an annoyed reply. "But come on, Harry. We are fifteen and she can't even snog. I thought that Victor Krum has taken care of that. But now I know why he damped her."

There was a pause and then something hard hit against the door making Hermione jump. "You are such a git, Ron. Merlin, I can't even look at you at the moment." There was a sound of angry footsteps.

"Saint Potter," Ron's words were hardly audible through the door showing that he made sure Harry did not hear them. He then slammed the fist into the door and stocked into the opposite direction from Harry.

Draco did not know what to do. The conversation between two Gryffindorks had confirmed his earlier suspicions and made him feel sorry for Granger. She had slid down to the floor burying her head in her hands and all he could see now was her mane of a hair.

The blond boy sighed. When he first saw her he was annoyed and amused at the same time. But now all those feelings were gone and he felt a strong urge to beat Ronald Weasley into a bloody pulp. Not only did he behave like a real wanker, he also had put Draco into the situation that he was so desperately trying to avoid.

He looked at the girl sobbing on the floor and gave up. He sat down next to her a gently pulled her into his arms. Similar to the last time her hands immediately found their way around his neck and her head became buried in his chest. They sat like this for a while until she came down enough that he decided it was time to talk for both her sake and his sanity.

"Common, Granger. We both know he is not worth it. Just forget about the git and move on."

His voice forced her to return back to reality. And this reality was both painful and embarrassing. Ron had insulted and humiliated her and her one hope of saving at least part of her pride by keeping the whole thing a secret had been blown to piece. Harry knew and she had just cried her eyes outs in the arms of Draco Malfoy. Again!! Oh, how much did she want to die at the moment!! But knowing that it was unlikely to happen she carefully moved away from him making sure that she did not look him in the face.

Draco sighed with relief. Having Hermione Granger on his lap was doing dangerous things to his body, so he was grateful for the space that was now between them.

"It's easy for you to say." Hermione finally had enough control of her voice to reply.

He looked at her surprised, but since she was still staring at her hands, he had to voice his question, "Why so?"

"Because you were not the one, who's been told that they were a mistake," she finally looked at him, her eyes sparkling with anger. "You don't know what it feels like to be rejected. To not just fail and feel useless but also be humiliated about it."

Draco shook his head, "Don't be so melodramatic! What kind of failure are you talking about?! It's just Weasley. He is a jealous git, everybody in Hogwarts knows that. So who cares what he says!!"

"I care," she shouted back.

"But why?" a genuine surprise was written on his face. And Hermione's face flushed. She could not tell him the truth. But it looked like Malfoy did not need her explanation. She was almost prepared to hear the snide remark but he just snorted.

"You can't be serious, Granger. So what if Krum dumped you. In all honesty between him and the Weasel, I don't know who is more of Neanderthal."

Her face now was deep shade of red but she just grumbled under her breath, "As I said before it's easy for you to say."

Draco started to lose patience. "For the second time, why?" he enquired irritably.

"Because you can have any girl you want," she cried out.

"Well you can have any guy you want, just don't choose an oaf next time."

She snorted, "Very useful advice. I make sure that I will take it into account when choosing between invisible suitors cueing in front of my dorm."

He rolled his eyes, "Don't blow this out of proportion, Granger. Half of Gryffindors would love to date their Princess."

"Oh, sure, so they can later say that she can't even snog?! Thank you very much. I've had enough."

He sighed frustrated. He could not believe he was having this conversation with always so confident Granger. At this point in time he would very much welcome Gryffindor Know-It-All back. "You are not making sense," he finally muttered. "Kissing is not a science. You don't have to study it. All it takes is a right guy who knows what he's doing."

The words had just come out of his mouth and he was already wishing he had not said anything. A pair of brown eyes was staring at him in a strange way that made him feel uncomfortable.

"I presume I should trust you on this one," she stated thoughtfully. "After all you definitely know a thing or to on the subject."

Draco did not like her expression. It seemed that Granger has reached that dangerous stage between hurt and anger that was called recklessness. The blond stared at her suspiciously, "Granger, tell me you are not thinking what I think you are thinking?"

"And why not?" she raised her eyebrow.

"Because it's not a good idea," he stated firmly.

"And I am thinking it's a great idea."

"Well, I don't. And you need two parties for the exercise."

She paused and weighted in her mind all "for" and "against". It could be humiliating. But at least she would know the truth once and for all. Perhaps he could even give her some pointers. It could make their relationship even more weird… But it could also bring them closer. At the end it was her curiosity that won. Malfoy's skills were almost legendary in Hogwarts and for once Hermione wanted to know what all the talk was about. If she did not go for it now she might not have the chance again. She made her decision and as usual went straight to the point.

"The other night you said that you owed me. Well, as a compensation I want you to kiss me."

**Many thanks to everybody who reviewed this storyso far. This chapter was not easy and I first written a different one. So let me know what you think. Is it too out of character for Hermione?**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"_The other night you said that you owed me. Well, as a compensation I want you to kiss me." _

After the words left her mouth Hermione mentally readied herself for any reply: from a cruel laughter and a snide remark to an open jaw and a peck on a cheek. However what followed was something she was totally unprepared for as Malfoy wiped out his wand, pointed it at her and a proclaimed "Finite Incantatum". She stumbled back hit by a curse.

"What the hell are you doing?" she yelled grabbing a wall for support.

"I am checking that you weren't under some spell," came a calm reply.

"Spell?" she could not believe her ears, "What spell? Are you nuts, Malfoy?"

This time his jaw did drop. "Me?" he asked incredulously. "What about you? If anybody here has gone bonkers-it's you, Granger. Common, you are a prissy opinionated know-it-all who has never failed to put somebody in his place. And here you are crying your eyes out over some loser, instead of just punching his face. Even if I attribute it to the emotions of the first crash or whatever you want to call it, what the hell are you doing proposition me - your arch-nemesis of the last five years? After all that you are surprised that I think you're under a spell?!"

Hermione's face turned bright red but she was not going to let him have the last word, "I was not propositioning you," she argued defensively, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"You've asked me to kiss you," he gave her a pointed look.

"I've asked you to teach me how to kiss," she corrected him. "At least that what I meant," she added quickly, realising that she might not have used the word "teaching" in her request.

He stared at her incredulously, "Granger, who do you think I am, a charitable fund?! First, you want me to teach you Occlumency, now I have to teach you kissing. What will be next? Teach you to shag so that you could pleasure Potter or Weasley?"

The words had just come out of his mouth and the next moment his head was knocked to the side by a powerful slap. During their argument they had been moving coming closer and closer together so his face was right in front of her making the blow that much stronger. He stared at her incredulously shocked that she actually had slapped him. His eyes were flashing with anger and so were hers, both of them breathing heavily, but before any one of them could say or do anything, there was a loud banging on the door and a worried voice of Harry Potter called her name.

"Hermione, Hermione, are you in there?"

Panic hit her. Harry must have used his map to find her and, of course, he knew that she was not alone. What on earth was she going to tell him?! "Hermione, are you OK?" the Boy-Who-Lived was not giving up. "Has Malfoy done something to you?"

Draco screwed his face. That was going to be fun. The Gryffindor girl seemed to have found her tongue. She gave him a warning look and ran to the door. "Oh, Harry, thank God. I am stuck here with Malfoy and we can't open the door. Something is wrong. Could you please try to open it?"

A moment later the door was blown away and Harry burst into the classroom. He rushed to Hermione surveying her for any sign of mistreatment and managing simultaneously to send a death glare to the Slytherin who scowled in return.

Hermione hugged Harry, "I am so glad to see you," she bubbled afraid to let him talk, "I ran into here after…" she paused, "after I got back from Hogsmead and slammed the door, only to realise that he…" she gave the blond boy a filthy look, "was here. And then you and Ron were fighting and I did not want to come out. And then when you left, I could not open the door. And…" she gave him a small smile, "Oh, I am so glad you found me."

Harry smiled back at her and then turned to Malfoy. "Was it your going, Malfoy?" he glowered at his enemy.

A usual sneer married Draco's face, "Have you got completely insane, Potter? No matter how much I enjoy pissing you off, do you think I voluntarily lock myself in one room with a Mudblood? Being in one School with her is bad enough I don't need to be any closer to this piece of filth than I absolutely have to."

Harry clenched his fists and took a step towards Malfoy but Hermione grabbed him by the arms. "He is not worth it, Harry," she almost wrapped herself around his body to prevent him launching himself at the blond Slytherin. "I don't want to tolerate his company any more than he does. So let's just go, I'd like to get back to the common room."

For a second the green eyed boy stood still but she tugged on his sleeve again and he finally gave the Slytherin a contemptuous look and turned to the door ushering Hermione in front of him. She only managed one look at Draco's face once she was leaving the room and was totally surprised when instead of a scowl he winked at her. It was so fleeting that Hermione thought that she might have imagined it. But she did not have time to dwell on this. She had to figure out how to behave herself in the Gryffindor common room…

--

The next week was hell for Hermione. Ron and her were not talking, more importantly Harry and Ron were not talking and the rumours of what had happened in Hogsmead were now circulating around Hogwarts. Wherever she went there were whispers and glances directed at her, which made her blood boil so that she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs for people to just mind their own business. To top it all, Ron started to date Lavender Brown and it seemed that they had made their mission to not spend a single minute together without snogging. The sight made Hermione sick for all sorts of reasons, not least that she now despised Ron with a passion and hoped to see him miserable, not walking around with a goofy grin on his face.

Hermione's other trouble was that her plan to talk to Mafloy was in complete tartars, not just because he made double efforts at avoiding her but also because she found it very difficult to even look him in the eye. After replaying in her mind time and time again their conversation in an empty classroom, she had admitted to herself that in her disturbed state she really did proposition him. It made her want to crawl into her bed, cover her head with a pillow and never come out. However, that was not possible so Hermione had resolved to wait, hoping that time would make her memories less vivid and able to face the blond boy without her toes curling in embarrassment and her face turning the colour of red tomato. It was a lot easier said than done as she found it difficult to concentrate in class, painfully hard to attend Prefects meetings and impossible to fall asleep at night.

On Sunday night it again took her until midnight to finally fall asleep. She had to be out for not more than an hour when she started dreaming about the blond Slytherin. She saw his silhouette leaning against a tree, "Granger," the figure whispered, "Granger, I need you to wake up. Now. Granger!!" Hermione bolted upright in her bed.

"Draco," she whispered out loud.

"Finally," he sounded relieved, "I was almost losing hope here."

"Malfoy!?" Hermione could not contain her surprise frantically looking around, "What the hell are you doing in my dorm?"

His voice was impatient, "I am not in your dorm, Granger, I am in your head. Listen, I need you to do something for me."

"What do you mean, you're in my head!?" Hermione shrieked, immediately regretting it when she heard one of her dorm mates stir. She pressed her palm to her mouth to stop from saying more and took a calming breath.

"Granger," she heard his exasperated voice again and this time she realised that it sounded in her head and her hearing was not involved in this conversation. "Could you please for once do something without first asking millions of questions? I promise I will answer all of them later but not this minute. Now I need you to get up and go to the edge of the forest opposite the Astronomy Tower. Use the secret passage by the trophy cabinet on the ground floor."

Hermione's eyes widened. Going on her own in the middle of the night into the Forbidden Forest! He must be nuts!! Or, she gulped suddenly, a chilly feeling rising in her stomach, it was a trap?

And then she heard his impatient voice again, "Oh, for Merlin's sake, Granger, if I wanted to harm you, I would have done it already. You've been after me since summer without even a thought about danger; now is not the time to get scared. I need you to get up, cast a disillusionment charm and get to the forest."

Hermione scolded. She had no idea how Malfoy managed to get into her head but it was unnerving to have him read her thoughts so easily. "Fine," she thought, "I'll be there as soon as I can." I wave of relief washed over her and was quickly replaced by a flood of pain so strong that she could not contain a groan. The next second both feelings disappeared as quickly as they came. She was out of her bed and dressed in a matter of seconds. He was hurt, she was sure of it. That pain was not hers, it was his and must have filtered through the link he established with her. She crept out of her dorm and moved as fast as she dared silently cursing that she did not have an invisibility clock. She had no idea how long did it take her to get out of the castle, her heart was thumping wildly as she ran away from the castle hoping that no one was looking out the window. The dark mass of the forest was getting closer and she turned her head back to make sure that the Astronomy tower was right behind. Her mind was buzzing with thoughts: how did he get into her head? What did he want from her? But the most overwhelming one was the worry for him, how badly was he hurt? Would she be able to help him?

She had reached the edge of the forest when she heard a quiet voice, "Granger!"

She turned and gasped. It was exactly like in her dream, he was seating against a tree and in the light of his wand she could see his pale face that was smeared with something dark on one side. "Draco!" she rushed to him but stopped abruptly when she saw a figure lying on the ground and recognised the dark head of Blaise Zabini resting on Malfoy's knees. "What happened?"

Malfoy's pale lips twisted into a wry smile which immediately disappeared. "We got in a bit of a trouble with sabre-tooth hyenas," he replied in a hoarse voice and Hermione winced. Sabre-tooth hyenas were known for their bad temper and incredible cruelty. "Blaise got cornered and it took me a bit of time to get to him. I got him here with a portkey and done some simple healing spells but because of the wards I can't get him into the castle. He needs to get to the hospital wing, _pronto_, so could you levitate him there?"

Hermione nodded, she waved her wand conjuring a stretcher. Then she turned to the blond who was still sitting against the tree. "What about you?" she asked not even bothering to hide her worry. He had to be injured pretty badly himself if he could not get his friend to the hospital wing.

He waved his hand dismissively and winced, "I'll be fine," he answered through greeted teeth, "I will just sit here for a bit and make my way to the castle." She eyed him suspiciously and did not move. "Get a move on, Granger," he hissed, "I did not get you here so you could stand and watch Blaise bleed to death."

Hermione did not react to his angry words. "Wait for me here," she ordered, "Do not move. I will get back for you as soon as I get Blaise to the hospital wing." With these words she swirled on her hills and quickly headed to the castle making sure to keep the stretcher as steady as she could.

Draco slumped back into the tree. His whole body ached. He must have had a couple of broken ribs, a gash on the side of his head was still bleeding and his ankle was twisted in a very unnatural angle from the portkey landing when he made sure that Blaise landed on top of him. The good thing was that he did not sustain any bites from hyenas just a few scratches. He contemplated for a minute summoning his broom and following Hermione to the hospital wing but decided against it. In his current state a fall would not do him any good. It was reassuring that Granger was out there on a mission to save Blaise and himself. She could be unbelievably determined when she got something in her head and he doubted that even the Dark Lord could stop her from coming back for him.

Hermione was solely concentrated on getting Blaise into the hospital wing. This time she did not care if anybody saw her. Her heart was full of worry for the blond boy sitting alone and injured at the edge of the Forrest. When she got into the hospital wing she lowered Blaise on to the closest bed and rang a bell to alert Madame Pomphrey. She waited just long enough to hear the older woman's steps and darted to the door. She did not want to get caught and having to explain why she was the one to bring bleeding Blaise Zabini to the hospital wing in the middle of the night. His injuries would speak for themselves - sabre-tooth hyenas had a very distinct bite. Hermione rushed back to the secret passageway, by the time she reached the forest for the second time, she was soaked in sweat and breathing heavily. She was not used to so much physical exercise infinitely preferring books to running.

She was almost there when something swished above her head and she instinctively ducked. "Granger, this is just a broom, not a hippogriff. I acciod it from my dorm," she heard a familiar drawl.

Hermione cursed and got up on her feet, "You know, Malfoy, some of us actually like staying in one piece and prefer to exercise caution when out of doors in the middle of the night."

"In that case you did not have to come back," he replied.

She snorted, "And leave you here till the morning? I am not a Slytherin." She kneeled in front of him, her fingers gently touching his forehead. He hissed. Being that close Hermione could see beads of sweat on his forehead. "You need to be in the hospital wing," she whispered.

"Very perceptive," he grumbled before he could stop himself. "How is Blaise?" he asked changing the topic.

"I don't know," she replied, "I left him in the hospital wing." He glared at her but she ignored it. "Where are you hurt?"

"Twisted ankle and a couple of cracked ribs," he replied tersely. "Look Granger, just help me stand up and get on my broom. I'll get to the Castle myself."

"Are you nuts?" Hermione could not hide her indignation, "You want to get on your broom in such state. Are you suicidal?"

"No, I am also not a masochist and do not enjoy being in pain. So since I can't walk and would like to get some pain relief from Pomphrey sooner rather than later, I don't see any other options."

Hermione sighed exasperatedly. He was right, though she still thought it was too dangerous for him to fly but she could not see any other option to get him into the castle. She was too tired to levitate him all the way. She lifted her wand and muttered a couple of spells. "It would keep the pain at bay for about ten minutes," she mumbled, getting to her feet.

Malfoy nodded. Hermione moved uncomfortably towards him. He lifted his arm and she put it around her shoulders. He winced and she could hear his rugged breathe. Putting all her strength into it, she helped him get up. His broom was already hovering just above ground and a minute later he mounted it. His mouth was set in a tight line and she could hear him greet his teeth with every movement he made.

"Get on," she heard his hoarse voice.

"What?" her eyes widened.

"Get on the broom," he repeated in a clipped tone.

Hermione shook her head, "I am not getting on this. I'll walk. It'll be…"

But he interrupted her, "Granger, get on the f broom. If you have not noticed I am in considerably pain here and we already established that I am not suicidal so I am not leaving you alone here so your boyfriend-who-lived could hunt me till my grave if something happened to you. So get your arse on the broom. Now."

It was the first time she had ever heard him swear like that. Without another word she mounted the broom behind him and wrapped her hands around his waist making sure she did not hold on too tight. A moment later they were flying through the air. Malfoy kept his broom relatively low and Hermione was thankful for that. They arrived to the castle in a matter of minutes.

"Bend down," she heard his whisper and followed his command without hesitation. The next moment, she heard familiar "Alohomora" and the window in front of them opened. He neatly guided the broom inside and they landed in the middle of the hospital wing. The three adults that were surrounding one of the beds turned around. Madam Pomphrey immediately returned her attention to her patient but Dumbledore and Snape continued to stare at the couple in front of them.

"Miss Granger? Mr Malfoy? What's going on here?" the Headmaster's eyes studied them suspiciously.

It was going to be a very long night.

**Thank you very much for all the wonderful reviews. Here is a new chapter, let me know what you think.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Hermione carefully moved along the corridor towards the hospital wing. She had to wait till after the curfew to snick out of the common room and go and see him. Thankfully tomorrow was Saturday and she could sleep all she wanted. The Gryffindor was absolutely exhausted but she could not go to bed until she spoken to the Slytherin Prince. There were too many questions that needed to be answered and could not be delayed any longer.

Last night after hers and Draco's dramatic landing in the hospital wing they had endured a lengthy conversation with Dumbledore, which left her feeling annoyed and guilty at the same time. She lied to her Headmaster for the first time in her life. Moreover she lied to keep Draco Malfoy out of trouble. If somebody had told her that a year ago, she would have laughed.

To make matter worse, a few hours later she also lied to her best friend coming up with a fake story that she wanted to pick an especially rare plant in the Forest and just stumbled across Malfoy and Zabini. Her conscious was screaming at her but Hermione ignored it. She was already too far in to back down. If she had told them that Malfoy had got into her head then everything else would have come out and she was not ready for it. Her decision was to first speak to Draco and find out whether he would help the Order. And she would not have a better opportunity than today when he was alone in the hospital wing. Zabini was under the effects of a deep sleep potion, so would not disturb the conversation.

Hermione peeked into the room making sure that the coast was clear and quickly strolled towards the blond boy who seemed to be fast asleep. She had never before seen him like that, stretched out on the bed with covers half kicked and hair sprawled like a halo around his head. He looked almost angelic and at the same time incredibly sinful. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, she came here for a reason and it was not to stare at sleeping Draco Malfoy.

"Like what you see, Granger?" she heard his voice as his grey eyes snapped open. Hermione rolled her eyes; it was so typical that he would catch her staring at him. It seemed that Merlin himself had a mission of putting her into embarrassing situations in front of Malfoy. He stretched leisurely and set up in bed, "I knew you would be coming," he continued, "with your love for asking questions I am surprised you lasted the whole 24 hours."

Hermione shot him annoyed look, "You are ungrateful git, Malfoy. After what I've done for you, I think I deserve some gratitude."

His smile disappeared and he looked at her seriously, "Who said that I am not grateful, Granger?" He shifted and pulled out a box from under his pillow. He then proceeded to open it. Hermione looked curiously and saw a beautiful gold pendant that had a large opal stone in the centre surrounded by an intricate design. The opal was the colour of melted silver and was shimmering softly in the uneven light of the room. It was beautiful, "Do you know what this is?" she heard Draco ask. She shook her head. "It's a Link Pendant."

She looked at him surprised. "But…" she started. "They are so rare!!"

"I know. Sit down," he ordered.

Hermione did not move staring at him with wide eyes. "But Draco…"

His eyes looked at her steadily, "Sit down," he repeated again. This time Hermione complied.

She felt a chain slip around her neck as he whispered the words of a spell, she did not recognise the words except for his and hers names being mentioned. The stone touched her skin and was followed by his hand. His warm fingers circled around the pendant as he finished the incantation. He then released his hold and looked at her, "Now if you ever need me, all you have to do is hold the pendant and think my name."

She looked at him in surprise, "Why did you do this?" she asked. "You could have just say thank you. It would have been enough."

He looked at her surprised then shook his head, "I would never understand you, Granger. If you really think that I am such an ungrateful pig, why did you help me?"

She lowered her eyes, "I…"

But he interrupted her, "You helped save Blaise's life and then came back to help me. I owe you for that. With this," he pointed at her chest, "I will have a chance to repay you."

Hermione did not know what to say or think. Draco Malfoy, the arrogant and stuck-up pureblood had given her one of the most rare artefacts of the wizardian world- a pendant that would bring him to her side when she needed him and would bind him to help her even if it meant risking his life.

She felt confused, flustered, pleased and embarrassed at the same. And she realised that even for the sake of her life she would not be able to start her long waited conversation with him. So she muttered a quiet "Thank you," and started getting up to leave. She would talk to him tomorrow, when her head was clear and she would not feel like crying or swinging her arms around him. In any case he was stuck in the hospital wing and it was unlikely that he would do something dangerous in the next day or so.

"Are you leaving already?" he raised an eyebrow, "Not going to even ask me how I feel?"

Hermione turned bright red, "I can see you're better," she muttered. "And I am tired, it's been a long night…" she could not look at him and turned her gaze to the next bed, where Blaise was soundly asleep, "How is he?" she asked aiming for a change of subject.

"He's going to be fine," his voice sounded unusually rough and she looked back at him. "He woke up this morning and remembered everything, now we'll just have to wait for the wounds to heal." Draco's words were clipped, but his eyes were full of emotions: anger, worry and relief - were all mixed, as he stared at Blaise's sleeping figure. Over the past months Hermione had learnt that the Slythrin Prince cared about people, at least those he considered friends. But it was still a rare sight to see these feelings on his face. Emotions made his almost unearthly beauty - human.

She watched him in fascination and as usual got caught. She wanted to turn away but froze when Draco moved closer to her and his right hand cupped her face. Their eyes locked and Hermione started to drown in the pools of melted silver. For a second she thought that grey eyes suited him really well mirroring his conflicted personality, a mixture of good and evil, but the next moment all thoughts left her. Warm lips touched hers eliciting a quiet gasp from her. It made her teeth part and his tongue invaded her mouth. What she felt was indescribable. A warm feeling rushed through her blood, making her tingle and melt at the same time. Her hands developed a life of their own and she grabbed onto his shoulders for dear life. His other arm came round her waist pulling her closer as he continued to devour her mouth. And she was responding to him. Without even thinking about what to do and how, like she did with Ron, she was kissing him just as boldly as he did. It stopped as abruptly as it started. They both needed air. Both his hands released her as he leaned back into the pillows.

"You have nothing to worry about Granger, and nothing to learn. Don't let anybody doubt it," his voice sounded lower than usually, his eyes were half closed hiding from her his thoughts and feelings.

Hermione jumped of the bed as if it burnt her. She was blushing furiously and her breathe was coming in pants. But before she could say anything, he spoke up again, "You can't be mad at me. You said you wanted compensation and I just followed your wishes."

Hermione did not know what to do, die of embarrassment or punch him. At the end she decided that the best thing would be to leave. Malfoy was difficult to put down in the best of times and at the moment she felt too confused and tired to even attempt a verbal warfare with him. She raised her head high and gave him a cold look. "Appreciate your opinion, Malfoy. Pleasant dreams." She swirled on her hills and left the infirmary.

Draco watched her leave and inwardly sighed. If only she knew… But there were slim chances of that …

His life sucked. Big time…

**Sorry for the short chapter. Too much to do and too little time. Hope you'll enjoy it. Let me know what you think...**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

When Hermione got back to the Gryffindor common room, she found that most of her housemates were already in bed as she predicted. However one person was still awake and her footsteps alerted him to her presence. Harry Potter stood from the seat in front of a fire, his emerald eyes focusing on her.

"Hermione, I thought you were already in your dorm?!"

She shook her head mentally cursing. He was the last person she wanted to see right now. "I had things to do…" she replied quickly trying to come up with a believable excuse to disappear into her dorm.

"What things?" Harry looked at her suspiciously, "it's way past curfew."f

Hermione cursed again, she hated lying to him. Especially when he so obviously truly cared for her!

"I just needed to be away from here for a while," she answered vaguely carefully choosing her words so that it would not be an outright lie and immediately despising herself for such Slytherin thinking.

Harry frowned, "Hermione," he started determinedly, "we need to talk!"

"About what?" she asked a knot forming in her stomach.

"About you," Harry moved closer, his eyes searching her face, "you are not yourself, ever since the beginning of the year, your thoughts seem to be always far away; you disappear all the time and don't tell me where you're going. You put yourself into unnecessary danger like when you ventured into Forbidden Forest for this goddamned fern or whatever it was that you were looking for. And this thing with Ron…"

Hermione did not like where the conversation was going and attack was the best way of defence. So she narrowed her eyes and asked in a venomous tone, "My thing with Ron? What do you mean by that?"

But Harry did not back down and Hermione fully appreciated how much his confidence and composure had grown over the last months. He lifted his hands in a calming gesture.

"Look, I am not defending Ron, he was an absolutely prick, but, and don't hex me for saying this…" he shifted uncomfortably seemingly search for words. "When you were at Grimaulde place you seemed to be a lot more comfortable with his open attentions than you are in Hogwarts." Her face flushed and he continued quickly, "All I am saying is that if you realise that Ron is not the one for you, just be honest with him and perhaps we could selvage whatever is left of our friendship with him."

His words hit Hermione deeper than he could have imagined, combination of friendship and honesty being a painful subject for her. That hurt generated guilt concealing anger. The Gryffindor Prefect put her hands on her hips, "You are the one to talk about honesty, Harry!" she glared accusingly at her friend. "Then why don't you tell Ginny Weasley that she does not have a chance in hell to be your girlfriend. Or better still why not mention to her the identity of your mysterious pen pal." Harry's face turned pink and Hermione smirked. "What? Have you thought we've all gone blind and have not noticed that each Wednesday you receive a letter and until the weekend you walk around with that goofy grin plastered on your face? On Saturday you come back down to Earth and then it all goes down hill so by Tuesday night you become a right pain in the butt?! Well, let me enlighten you that there are bets going among Gryffindors regarding the identity of your secret friend. And if you have paid any attention, you would have noticed that Ginny's mood during the week does the exact opposite of yours?! And I will bet my chances of becoming a Hogwarts Head Girl that the fights between you and Ron are not just about me but the fact that you chose someone else over his sister."

She stopped talking and for a second enjoyed his reaction. To say that Harry looked shocked meant to say nothing at all. He was staring at her with his mouth slightly opened and his face blushing with a mixture of embarrassment and anger. And deep in his eyes Hermione could see his usual vulnerability surfacing. The realisation of what she had just said hit her and she suddenly felt horrible. How could she do this to Harry?! Try make him feel bad about something that made him so happy! And just because she felt guilty and shaken up by her earlier encounter with Draco. She sighed and ran a hand down her face. She had to repair the damage she'd done. But before she could say anything, she heard his voice.

"I did not doubt that some would deem my behaviour worthy of a bet but I was under the impression that my friends would care about me enough to just be happy for me." He turned on his heels but she did not let him leave. She grabbed his arm and almost forced him to turn.

"I am so sorry, Harry," she cried out. "Please forget what I said, I did not mean it. Your comment about Ron hurt me and I…I lashed out on you." Her eyes stared at him pleadingly. "I've seen how these letters make you happy and, believe me, I prey every day that they will do so for as long as possible." His face turned slightly red again and she continued quickly. "And of course I understand that you don't want to tell Ginny about it. After all, nothing is as bad as a fury of a woman scorned, and we both know that she is not a forgiving type."

Hermione realised that she was starting to bubble and stopped abruptly. Then continued carefully choosing her words, "The thing with Ron - it's not easy for me. For so long I thought that me and Ron had something!! I felt it was a given that we would be together… But… the way he behaved recently, I just feel like I don't know him at all…" She looked away feeling uncomfortable of baring her soul like that. But she owed it to Harry to be honest with him at least about her relationship with Ron. So she took a deep breathe to calm herself before speaking out again, "I don't know whether I have made a mistake of pinning my hopes on him or something had gone wrong at some point… But for now it would be better for Ron and me to keep our distance. I am just too angry at him to even attempt talking about it. I need to figure out whether I would ever be able to forgive him."

She paused and took another deep breathe before continuing in a lower tone. "But that's just me…So if you want to rebuild your friendship with him, please go ahead, I won't be mad at you. You have enough troubles in your life, you don't need extra ones from me."

Harry's face softened and he smiled at her, "Your troubles are my troubles Hermione. You are my best and probably only true friend," he paused and his hand came up to cup her face. "I will never forget what you did for me in the fourth year when everybody, even Ron, turned against me. And all I am asking in return is that you remember that I will always be here for you and I would never judge you. Whatever it is…"

With that he bent down and kissed her cheek. It was the first time he had ever done it and Hermione could not contain tears. She hugged him close, still feeling the brush if his lips on her skin. She was washed with a mixture of feelings: gratitude and love being part of them, but the overwhelming emotion was guilt. She had been concealing so much from him! In this moment of clarity she made a decision, tomorrow this would stop, no matter of what Draco did or said or whatever her own feelings and thoughts were, she had to find out where his loyalties lied and if it was not with the good guys, then… Well, one thing was clear, she would never betray Harry.

--

Next night Hermione again found herself heading to the hospital wing. She had to gather all her Gryffindor courage to actually face Draco so soon after her last night encounter with him, and every time the pendant on her chest moved she wanted to change her mind and delay seeing him until the next day. However, she swore to herself she would not do it and to keep her panic in check she concentrated solely on the conversation she was planning to have with the Slytherin Prince and played one scenario after another in her head.

Not to lose her nerve now, she quickly entered the hospital chamber and saw Zabini's dark head; he was sound asleep. The next bed was Malfoy's but there was nobody there. She cursed in disappointment. He had probably convinced Madam Pomphrey to release him and that made Hermione's trip absolutely useless. She took a deep breath trying to calm down her frustration and cursed again.

"Are you looking for me, Granger?" She heard a familiar drawl.

She swirled around and saw Malfoy leaning against the door to the hospital wing.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

He smirked, "Waiting for you to show up. I figured that after you ran out last night without asking me a single question, you would not be able to wait long before you try again. I did not want you bursting into Slytherin dorms. Though it would be quiet entertaining… I don't think it would do my reputation any good. So I decided on a pre-emptive measure."

Hermione shot him annoyed look, "That very thoughtful of you," she remarked acidly, "of course, you also could not pass the opportunity to mock me once again?!"

He shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly but his eyes sparkled with mirth, "Sorry, Granger, I don't think I will ever be able to pass such a chance. But, hey, I am here so I can't be a complete git." He motioned her to the door. "Lets go, this is not the best place to talk."

Hermione followed him out of the hospital wing. As she expected he led her o the Room of Requirement which this time looked like a comfortable lounge with shaded lights, a couch, chairs and a tea and cakes served on a small table.

Malfoy immediately strolled to the couch but Hermione felt a bit awkward in such a homey atmosphere. He noticed her discomfort and shook his head, "Common, Granger, I think we are way passed the "embarrassed" stage. I am starving and I like to enjoy my food so if you want to talk to me, you'll just have to get over yourself." While talking he put a large piece of chocolate cake on his plate and proceeded to pour some tea. Hermione who blushed crimson at his remark, carefully positioned herself in a chair opposite him and eyed the content of the table with hungry eyes. She was too nervous during dinner to eat properly and now watching Malfoy consume the delicious looking cake made her mouth water. "Are you going to have some?" his words interrupted her train of thoughts. "I won't finish it all, I am not Grabbe and Goyle, or Weasley for that matter."

Hermione scowled at him and picked up a slice of apple pie. They continued eating in silence. Hermione was stealing quick glances at him. He looked completely relaxed and was quickly emptying his plate. She wondered for a second how did Malfoy managed to keep his aristocratic grace even when stuffing his face.

"You can ask away, Granger," his voice returned her to the reality. "I can talk and eat at the same time."

Hermione decided to start safe, "How did you get into my mind?" she asked.

"Advanced Legilimency," he answered calmly. "It was eased by the fact that I was the one to train you. I helped you build the wall around your mind. We practiced together. So I knew your mind pretty well."

Hermione looked at him cautiously, "So you can do it anytime?"

Malfoy sighed, "Look, it's not like that. Yes, I can do it but first of all it's very tiring. I thought I was going to pass out when I was trying to wake you up. Plus it's dangerous as well. You become defenceless because you have to concentrate so hard. So I would not do it just for fun."

She nodded accepting his explanation for now and moved to something that was more important. "And why did you choose me? I mean you have plenty of friends who would be more than happy to help you."

This time he actually look into her eyes, "Granger, I am a Slytherin, we don't trust people in general. Blaise could not help me and I was not about to volunteer the fact that I can do Advanced Legilimency to a bunch of Dark Lord's followers. With you," he smirked, "I admit it was a bit of a gamble. You could have told the truth to Dumbledore but firstly I had an inkling that you would not do it and secondly, I would prefer him to Voldemort any day."

His words made Hermione squirm so she decided to move on. "How did you come to like Muggle Music?"

He smiled wryly, "You never give up, do you Granger?" She just looked at him innocently and he chuckled. "Fine, it's because of my relatives. I have family in France. The whole pureblood thing is a lot less of an issue there. So one of them is married to a muggle. After the fourth year, my mother decided that it would be better for me to be away from the wizardian world while the dust settled, and Blaise and I were sent to France and ended up travelling around the world the muggle way. We learnt to drive a car, to use internet, drink beer and so on. And I'll be honest with you, Granger, life without magic must suck big time and I would not want to live like a Muggle even for a second but they have come up with some brilliant things to compensate for it."

Hermione smiled at him, she would never have thought it possible that Draco Malfoy of all people would say something so complementary about Muggles. She would have loved to talk to him more about it, but she reminded herself of the reason she was here. His comment made her more hopeful than ever in the positive outcome of the mission that she had given herself. Now she needed to get to the main point of this conversation.

"What happened that night?" she asked and continued quickly, "And don't tell me the same bullshit that you fed everybody else that you and Blaise went to the Forbidden Forest for a bet and were just cornered by the hyenas."

Malfoy stopped eating and looked her straight in the eyes "Are you sure you want to know, Granger?" She nodded firmly and he sighed, "OK, then. A group of Death Eaters broke out of Azkaban." Seeing her scandalized face, he lifted his hand, "Don't fret, the Ministry knows and it would be in the Daily Prophet tomorrow. They had a celebratory party and wanted to have some fun. My Uncle Lestrange who is probably as mad as his wife is very fond of dangerous creatures, a bit like that oaf Hagrid, so he decided it would be amusing to set them free after the younger members of the party. Sabre-toothed hyenas always hunt in a horde, they choose one target and go for it and Blaise was unlucky to be picked. There were too many of them to fight his way out, it took me a bit of time to get to him. You know the rest."

Hermione listened horrified. The break out of the Death Eaters was bad news on its own but the whole story made her nauseous. "This is sick," her voice shook.

Draco smiled grimly, "I won't argue with you there."

"But you still support them?!" It was more of a statement than a question. "I don't understand how you can do it. I mean you said it yourself that both Bellatrix and her husband were mad, and Voldemort even more so. You don't believe in his ideas of this pureblood nonsense so why are you still willing to do his bidding?"

His face hardened, "And what choice do I have? Join the Order and fight alongside Potter?"

"And why would that be so bad?" she shot back.

"Because it's the losing side," he replied and before she could interrupt him, continued, "Listen to me, Granger, I've told you before that I am no hero. I do not intend to sacrifice myself onto the alter of Light and that exactly what's going to happen to the members of the Order. Potter is not even close to be ready to fight Voldemort: he does not have the skill and confidence to cast the death spell powerful enough. And even if by some miracle he did manage an Avada strong enough, I am not sure Voldemort would die. He didn't before and I am convinced that it's not a coincidence. Magic can offer a lot to those not constrained by conscience. And that's the whole problem with the Order. They are so stuck on their definition of "good", they see the world just in two colours: Light and Dark. Even Dumbledore who is supposed to be that great wise wizard! He should be teaching us that magic is just magic; it's the intention behind it that makes it good or bad. Take the Avada curse, it was invented to grant painless death to those who were terminally ill or injured. Of course this is just theory but the Order needs to realise that Death Eaters are highly trained in Dark Arts and that the Light side needs to be trained in those as well. This is war we are talking about, not a walk in a park. And the Order needs to teach its followers to deliver the so called "unforgivables" otherwise they are just sending you all to your death. And I don't want to die."

Hermione was taken aback by his speech. It was the most passionate she had ever seen Malfoy. His words were disturbing, everything that she'd been taught over the passed 5 years told her that it was heresy. At the same time the logical side of her could not disagree with him. He was right about Harry and about the need for the Order members to take their white gloves off. From the Muggle History she knew well enough that you could not win a war fairly. Victory always had a bitter taste and usually was delivered by those who could put aside sentiments and, to a certain extent, principals in order to reach their goal - somebody like Malfoy. This made her even more determined to do her best to secure his support. So she looked deeply into his charcoal grey eyes and asked in an even voice.

"You don't want to die Draco and trust me I can understand this sentiment very well. I don't want to die either. And despite what you might think I don't like risking my life. If I had had a choice, I think I would have been very tempted to stay out of this war. But I am a Muggleborn, I am not given that type of luxury and neither do you. You are a Malfoy heir, your name carries too much weight in the wizardian society for Voldemort to allow you to stay neutral. He would want you to become his poster-boy Death Eater. And you know what that means - you would have to kill people." She took a deep breath and continued quickly. "I might not be as paranoid as Harry but I am not blind. I know that you have been given a task by Voldemort, that's why you have been working in the Room-of-Requirement, that's why you have been absent from Hogwarts and that's why you wanted to get drunk that night during our Occlumency training. Because you can't stay neutral any longer. It's either becoming a murderer or fighting against Voldemort. And I want to know what your choice is."

She stopped talking and took a deep breath trying to read his reaction. His face became deathly pale with two faint spots of pink on his cheeks. It was the closest she had ever seen Malfoy to looking flushed and she started to suspect that she had just overplayed her part?! He had not hexed her yet, which was probably a good sign. Now she half expected him to storm out of the room but instead he got up from the couch and in one fluid motion was standing right in front of her.

"What do you want from me, Granger?" he asked in a low voice and Hermione shivered, "If you are so convinced I have been given a task by Voldemort why don't you just go to Dumbledore and Potter? You had plenty of opportunities… Instead you bombard me all these questions, you practically stalk me since that damn trip to HMV, hell you asked me to snog you?! Why? We've been sworn enemies for five years and now you are helping my friends, lying to your beloved Headmaster and your boyfriends and risking your life to help me? I am not stupid. Even a goody-goody Gryffindor would not do this for nothing. My guess is that you want me to switch sides: to betray everybody that I care about and everything I was brought up to protect, and pledge my allegiance to Dumbledore for the greater good?!" His eyes flared with anger and now looked like pools of melted silver. Hermione took a step back from him but he pushed forward so his face was again directly in front of her. "Well, I can tell you now, that won't happen. No matter how much I despise that obsessive maniac I would not go crawling to a manipulative bastard who deems himself a Gods gift to the wizardian world and a pathetic looser whose only achievement in life is that he would not bloody die."

His hard gaze bore into her and Hermione could not contain a shiver. She could see the power cracking around him. Never in her life did she realize how naturally powerful Malfoy was. He had the same aura about him as Dumbledore and Harry, that extra natural magic that would make a powerful wizard into a great one. And unlike Harry he was in absolute control of it. She did not have time to draw on this too long. Malfoy had taken out his wand and was pointing it at her. "I am sorry about this Granger. I have been too open with you and forgot how intelligent you are. It's too dangerous for both of us so I have no choice but to obliviate you."

**Sorry it took so long. I have a bit of a writers block. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the last chapter.**


	12. Chapter 12

_Malfoy had taken out his wand and was pointing it at her. "I am sorry about this Granger. I have been too open with you and forgot how intelligent you are. It's too dangerous for both of us so I have no choice but to obliviate you_."f

Chapter 12

Hermione gasped, "No, Draco," she stretched her hand to him, "Please wait! If you don't want to join the Order, that's fine. I have another suggestion." Her mind was working over time trying to pull together shreds of different ideas that she had thought about during the past few months. "I have another suggestion," she blurted out again and seeing his suspicious expression continued quickly. "This war is not just about Harry and Voldemort, it's about the whole wizardian world. You said it yourself - it had been segregated for way too long and nobody was ever brave and intelligent enough to tackle the division between purebloods and muggle-borns. And I think that's exactly what needs to be done to end this war once and for all."

She paused for a second and then hurried to continue. "The older generation is too conservative; they are set in their beliefs and lack flexibility needed to bring the opposite sides together. Harry hates being in the public eye and has absolutely no intention of going into politics. Ron's family does not have the money. But someone like you would be just the right person. You are as pureblood as it gets but at the same time you're well educated about the Muggle world. You can pull it off."

She was talking and watching him with baited breathe. He was still holding his wand tight but his eyes narrowed slightly and she knew that he was listening to her. "You don't have to join the Order but you can form a partnership with them. Join forces to destroy Voldemort and then go your separate ways. You can exchange your support for a promise that those who join you would not be prosecuted if the Light side wins. A lot of purebloods and half bloods are not that keen on Voldemort but they would never join Dumbledore because he is a Muggle lover to them. They would join you."

She stopped talking and tried to gage his reaction from his blank face. For a minute he did not say anything and then he moved away from her and sat back on the couch. "And what would your role be in all this?" he asked in a controlled voice.

She looked at him in surprise, "I don't know," she mumbled, relief washing over her. At least he was not trying to obliviate her. "I just want to help Harry. But neither you nor him will listen to each other at least initially so I suppose I can be a go-between you and the Order."

He shook his head, "Don't lie to me Granger. This is a crafty little scheme you've come up with. You must realise that this organisation of yours would draw supporters from both the Dark Lord and Dumbledore, using the fear of full scale war as a stick and a promise of step-by-step evolutionary changes as a carrot, to gain members. I am impressed. It's not something I have ever expected from a Gryffindor." He smirked but his eyes were studying her with a mixture of curiosity and fascination that made her inside turn. "And I won't believe for a second that you have just cooked up this idea out of the blue, it was brewing in that brain of yours for a while, which leads me to the conclusion that this is something you really care about. You are too ambitious to be a simple intermediary between me and Potter. So enlighten me, what is it that you want from this?"

His speech made Hermione angry, mostly because he was right. No matter how much she would have liked to pretend that this idea was a spur of the moment and she had never thought about it before, it was not true. She did, ever since she came up with her plan to turn Malfoy to the light side, she had known at the back of her head, that her chances were slim indeed.

Though, as she discovered, Malfoy was not evil and was not a coward, he was still a pureblood and a Slytherin with his interests as a primary concern. It was clear to her that he would never agree to join the Order where Harry, Ron and herself would always be Numbers One, Two and Three and his only reward in a short term was dangers of being a spy and in a long term, even if the light side won, - the fame of a traitor to the pureblood cause.

So she tried to think how she could lure the Slytherin Prince to the light side and the answer was simple – power. Something that would put him on the same level as Harry. A promise that he could have his own followers and extend his influence outside the pureblood circle. She never thought about this as a coherent plan but considering how much time she spent dwelling on her plans for Malfoy, there were enough bits and pieces there to put a whole puzzle together when the situation called for it.

The fact that he guessed it so well made her feel uncomfortable as did his archly expressed but none the less real compliment. What she had proposed was not a Gryffindor way of thinking, more like a Ravenclaw or Slytherin and she highly doubted her friends would approve of it.

However, it was another comment of his that made her hate him for being right. She was indeed passionate about the subject, probably too passionate for her own good and for reasons that she was not proud of. Of course she wanted with all her heart and soul to help Harry win the war. But her heart had also another more personal desire that her mind had difficult time of accepting. And the subject of this desire was Draco Malfoy himself. Hermione had so far refused to even acknowledge the issue, but she could not deny it any longer: she could not bear the thought of being on opposite sides of this war with him.

All these thoughts and feelings were rushing through her head and most of them did not do much to improve her mood. So Hermione glared at the blond boy in front of her, "I want to end this war," she stated adamantly, "I want to leave without constant fear, to think about what career I would like to have instead of what would be more useful through the war…" Her voice was raising with every word, "And I will do what ever it takes to make this happen. Even deal with you… If you would join the fight against Voldemort, on whatever terms, it would make our task that bit easier." She closed her eyes and continued calmer, "In the longer term I want to at least try and bridge the gap. I want to destroy this separation into Houses at Hogwarts. I want to come up with books that will teach muggle-borns about wizardian world. I don't want anybody to go through what I went through when I first came here." She looked at him defiantly, "Is this ambitious enough to you?"

For a minute he did not respond and then he smiled, a rare real smile of his that made her heart drop and her anger dissipate. He was beautiful and she could not stop staring at him. He put his wand into his pocket and moved again so he was in front of her. His face was so close that she could feel his breath on her hair, "It's about right," he whispered. "Now I believe you."

She could not help herself and blushed. "Will you do it?" she whispered back.

He did not answer her instead he turned around and started pacing. Hermione watched him with baited breath. She could almost see the wheels in his mind turning as he was considering her proposition. She did not know where his train of thoughts were taking him but she was glad that he was not pointing his wand at her any more. So she resolved to waiting for his answer for a time being observing as his robes billowed behind him. He stopped abruptly and turned to her.

"If we are going to do it, it will be my way, Granger, or no way." She frowned, but he lifted his hand so she let him continue. "First of all, I am not going to the Order at least for now. I don't trust Dumbledore. He enjoys too much manipulating people, pretending to care about them and in reality using them like pawns in his games. Potter is a prime example and I don't want to become one. If the Headmaster even gets a whiff of what we are talking here, he'll use it to blackmail me. And then I'll be done.

Potter is not an ideal ally either, but he is better than Dumbledore. But before I talk to him we need to get a few things organised. Firstly, it's time to teach you Advanced Occlumency and then you are going to teach Potter. He needs to become master Occlumencer before he knows about my involvement. Secondly, we will start to gather support within Hogwarts. Children of everybody who is anybody in the wizardian world study here, and students' opinions are usually a good indications of the views of their families. So we'll start small: I will talk to Blaise and you need to get the Lovegood girl on side."

"Luna?" Hermione could not contain her surprise. "Why do you want to start with her?"

"Because she is an Unspeakable," he replied irritably annoyed by her interruption and seeing her shocked face scowled, "Honestly, Granger, don't you know anything? The Lovegoods are hereditary Unspeakables, her mother was a Seer and if I am not mistaken so is she."

"How do you know that?" Hermione shot out getting angry at his patronising tone. "You have never spoken two words to Luna unless to insult her."

He rolled his eyes, "I don't need to talk to her to know what she is. It's enough to know about her family and to prevent further questions, I know the genealogy of every single pureblood family in the UK, including the Lovegoods." It was Hermione's turn to roll her eyes and he scowled in reply. "Listen, Granger, if it was not for your idea, I would continue to stay as far away as possible from Lovegood. But in order to pull this off, we need her on our side. Unspeakables know many secrets but they are a closed cast and the girl is our key to them. Plus she is a Ravenclaw and we need somebody from their House."

Though she did not like the lecturing tone, his logic was convincing and Hermione nodded in agreement. "So who do you want from Hufflepuff?" she asked.

A thoughtful frown creased his forehead, "Ernie McMillan," he replied after a minute, "not that I like him particularly but we don't have much to choose from in that house."

Hermione glared at him but he ignored her and continued calmly. "When we have these three on board, we'll tackle Potter. He needs to say "yes" and only afterwards we can start recruiting new members. With every new candidate we will follow the same approach, first talk to them. If the conversation does not go well, we obliviate them. We can't risk exposure." He paused for a second and then added, "And the last rule, not a word to the Weasleys, all of them."

"Why not?" Hermione frowned.

"Because they are unreliable and hot tempered," he shot back. "And don't give me this look Granger, you know it better than me. We can't risk."

Hermione did not like what she was hearing one bit. The fact that Malfoy was pretty much dictating the rules of engagement made her uncomfortable. It felt like he had been planning this for a while and she was becoming more and more suspicious of him. But she did not voice her concerns yet. Instead she nodded simply and asked him the question that was burning her tongue ever since they started this conversation.

"Draco, are you a Death Eater?"

His face turned cold as his eyes narrowed, ""Depends what is your definition of a Death Eater."

She snorted, "How many definitions could there be?! Do you have a Dark Mark?"

His lips twisted into a sarcastic smile, "What do you think, Granger?" And when she did not answer, he rolled his eyes and pulled up his sleeve. She saw pale clean skin and almost released a sigh of relief when a dark contour appeared on his forearm and soon took a shape of a snake. Her heart sank.

His voice returned her to reality. "Satisfied?" She could not manage a reply staring silently at the infamous Dark Mark. His other hand shot up and he lifted her chin so she was forced to look at him. Her eyes must have shown her horror. But he did not care much for her feelings at the moment. His grey eyes were sparkling with anger and some other mixed emotions that she could not understand, "Of course, I have one. How could I not?!" She doubted that he expected her to answer his rhetorical question as he continued in a sarcastic tone. "What is it, Granger, having a change of heart? Perhaps now you will reconsider your little scheme and deem me not worthy of helping your precious Golden Boy."

He released her chin and turned away from her. Hermione shook her head, taking calming breathes. "I… I am sorry," she stammered hating the way the confirmation of her suspicions had affected her. "I did not know… did not know what I expected…"

His anger died down as quickly as it arose. He closed his eyes and the snake on his arm disappeared leaving his skin flawless again. She sighed with relief; the mark was making her feel physically nauseous, and asked quietly, "What is your definition of a Death Eater?"

He was rolling down his sleeve and her question startled him. For a moment he regarded her and then answered curtly, "I have never killed anybody."

Hermione sighed, enormous weight falling off her shoulders. This definition was a lot more meaningful to her. And it gave hope. Now there was just one more question to ask. She took a deep breathe, steeling herself.

"Draco, would you tell me, what is the task that Voldemort gave you?"

Immediately she could feel him tense up again. "It's none of your business," he shot.

She shook her head, "Yes, it is. You named your conditions here and I am willing to go along with them but you are kidding yourself if you think that I will enter into such agreement without at least a token that you are not just trying to lead me into a trap. And my security is that you tell me what you've been tasked to do. And you'll do it under veritaserum and the wizardian word of honour."

She expected him to get furious with her and perhaps threaten to obliviate her again so she grasped her wand tightly. But instead of anger his face twisted into a wry smile. "Always the stubborn Gryffindor, Granger," he commented lightly. "Fine, I will tell you, but…" he paused and added in a soft tone, "only after you master Advanced Occlumency."

She started to object but all over sudden he put his finger to her lips, "It's for the safety of both of us, Hermione." He took out his wand and placed it to his heart, "I give you my wizardian word of honour that I will tell you everything about my task, when you master Advanced Occlumency and in the meantime I would not do anything that might damage the Order of the Phoenix and its supporters." He put his wand back into his pocket and smirked at her, "Is it enough for now?"

She nodded numbly still shocked from hearing him say her given name and the feeling of his warm finger on her lips.

"Good," Malfoy turned to the door but then stopped, his greys eyes focused on her, "Granger, I want you to understand one thing. I am willing to give this a go but I am not going to promise you that it will work. You are asking me to go against a thousand year's worth of traditions and prejudice and with very limited resources. I am not the Head of the House of Malfoy, my Father is. He also controls most of our fortune. So there is no guarantee's of success and plenty opportunities for failure."

She looked at him wearily all over sudden feeling drained by the emotions of the last two days and this roller-coaster conversation, "If you are so convinced we are going to fail why even try?"

Draco's face split into a grim smile. "I am asking myself the same question. Maybe you are worth the risk?"

**Sorry, it has taken so long. I am struggling a bit with this story. Not sure where it's going at the moment. Anyway, hope you will enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think.**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The next month was a blur for Hermione. With all her homework, Prefects duties and extra reading, she had been already extremely busy. But now she had a whole other life that she had to find time for. Advanced Occlumency classes with Malfoy, followed up by training with Harry and then gathering information, conducting careful conversation and plotting, plotting, plotting…f

She had also made a discovery that Draco Malfoy was the most determined and single minded individual she had ever met. 24 hours after their conversation they started Advanced Occlumency training and 48 hours later, she met Blaise Zabini, who told her that he was in and asked if she needed help in talking with Lovegood. Hermione agreed and another 12 hours later there were four of them. She was surprised how easy it was to convince Luna who, when Hermione started her carefully planned and longwinded conversation, went straight to the point and said that there was definitely a need for some new approach to the war with Voldemort.

Afterwards everything started to snowball and if it was not for a time turner that Malfoy had obtained from somewhere they would have really struggled. Now she had more hours in the day and they could conduct their meetings without being missed by their friends, but it did not provide her with extra hours of sleep and even those weren't peaceful.

She was scared. Terrified that what she had started would end up in disaster!! With every meeting with the blond Slytherin, she realised more and more that everybody, including herself, had been underestimating Draco Malfoy. She always knew he was intelligent and cunning. His background ensured he was a skilled wizard who was trained to be in charge. However, there was a lot more to him than these impressive traits and Hermione doubted that anybody except herself and perhaps Blaise Zabini had been allowed to see that side of Malfoy heir. Draco was a born leader: charismatic, manipulative and ruthless. His efficiency and determination rivalled her own. His ideas were ingenious, his approach never obvious. He had a gift to see straight through people while remaining a secret to them. To sum it all up, he was a great ally and a terrible enemy.

And if Draco Malfoy was lying to her, if this was a trap that she so "helpfully" invited herself into, the consequences would be dire not just to her, but to others she cared for. On the other hand, if he was not lying, then she had just secured a greatest asset to the Light side. And by doing that, put his life into a very real danger that could lead him to an early grave. The first scenario made her mind tremble with fear, the second – caused her heart to sink. And there was nothing she could do to squash both feelings. They haunted her in her dreams and threatened to invade her waking hours as well.

In order to keep herself from losing it completely, she forced herself to think only about the next step in their plans. She was now confident that Harry was enough of a master Occlumencer to learn the truth and she dreaded the conversation. The four of them decided that it would be herself and Luna that attempted talking to him considering that he was less likely to hex them instead of the two Slytherins.

Now the time was nearly there and she was panicking. She despised herself for being so cowardly. After all she had been dying to tell Harry the truth but now all she wanted was to go to Malfoy and ask him to do it himself.

But it was not an option. They decided that the conversation was better held outside so Hermione has invited Harry for a walk on a nice Saturday afternoon. They wandered towards their favourite tree by the lake and found Luna already waiting for them.

"Hi guys," Hermione wished she could look as peaceful as the young Ravenclaw.

"Hi Luna," Harry replied smiling lightly. "Are you enjoying the autumn sun?"

Luna shrugged, "No, I am actually waiting for you."

"Me?" Harry was surprised and looked back at Hermione. This was it.

"Yes," Hermione attempted a smile, "We wanted to talk to you about a few things."

"You too?" his eyebrows went up as he surveyed the two girls. "What about?"

Hermione and Luna exchanged looks and the Gryffindor decided that it would be better to get straight to the point.

"We want to set up a new organisation that would fight Voldemort!"

Harry's eye became wide behind his glasses as he looked confused, "We already have an organisation that fights Voldemort."

"No that type of organisation…" Hermione replied.

Realisation seemed to have dawned on him, "You mean DA?" he asked. "Oh, that's just fine, though I don't see the need for it at the moment, I would be happy to continue classes." He stopped when he saw Luna shake her head.

"It's not DA, Harry," Luna's voice was serene. "We want to set up a political union that would attract purebloods and half-bloods who are not that keen on You-Know-Who. They would not join the Order just because it is led by Dumbledore who is a known Muggle Lover. So at the moment they don't really have a choice. We want to offer it to them and hopefully encourage them to fight against Death Eaters. It would weaken You-Know-Who and hopefully help you…"

Harry looked at them incredulously. "I don't understand," he muttered finally. "Where does all these coming from all over sudden?"

Hermione looked at him guiltily, "It was my idea, actually," she said trying to sound confident. "I think that it would help the Order. We need all the allies we can get and are in no position to be picky. Even if dislike of Voldemort is the only thing in common between us, it would be still useful to get others on board or at least convince them to remain neutral." She saw his doubtful expression and continued passionately. "Look, Harry. You know that Voldemort it gathering supporters: vampires, werewolves, dementors… This is just a beginning. And I doubt that they agree on every single point! But they are united against the Ministry and the Order and for now it's enough. I think we need to do the same. We can't sit on our high horse. We are not strong enough. So if we can attract some purebloods and half-bloods who don't like Voldemort for whatever reason, then I say, let's go for it. They might not like muggle-borns and Dumbledore but for now we need to defeat Voldemort and any help is welcome. What they think about us is not important and after the war we can go back to hating each other."

She was staring at her long time friend and could almost see the wheels turning in his head. "Have you spoken to Dumbledore about this?" he asked finally.

Hermione shook her head and Luna replied instead of her, "Harry, this is nothing to do with Dumbledore. He is already so busy with the Order and Hogwarts, he does not need another organisation on his hands. Plus his name would not help us this time. On the contrary we need to separate this organisation from Dumbledore and the Order, otherwise it would defeat the whole purpose of this Union."

Harry shook his head, "If we are not involving the Order and Dumbledore, how are we going to organise this? You can't just put an ad in the Daily Prophet that you are setting up such organisation. A political union needs a leader and money and connections…"

Hermione took a deep breathe, "We have a leader," she said quietly. "And he has connections and money and we are gathering others."

Harry's eyes narrowed, "And who it this leader?" he asked warily.

Hermione looked him straight in the eyes, it was her moment of truth. "Draco Malfoy."

His green eyes became almost wider than his spectacles and almost immediately narrowed into slits. "Is this some kind of a joke?" Harry growled.

"It's not a joke," Luna replied serenely.

Harry ignored her, his eyes focused on his bushy-haired friend, "Hermione, have you gone completely insane?"

She could see that he was furious and mentally steeled herself, "I am not insane, Harry. No matter, how much you and I dislike Malfoy, you have to admit that he could be a great ally. He commands Slytherins like an army general; his family is as pureblood as it gets and his word means a lot in the wizardian world which is still, whether you like it or not, ruled by the purebloods. Plus he is a skilled wizard, highly trained in Dark Arts. One thing we don't have… Defence is all nice and well, but if we want to win this war, we will need to attack at some point. And," she paused debating with herself whether to use the last argument, "he is admitted to the Voldemort's inner circle…"

She was about to continue, when Harry laughed. "Hermione, this is all nice and well, but you forget one thing. Malfoy would never become our ally. He is a Death Eater, he is fighting on Voldemort's side…"

"Are you sure of it?" came a cold voice from behind them. Hermione gasped and turned around just to see Draco Malfoy standing a few feet away.

"What are you doing here?" Harry was immediately on the offensive.

"I have come to join the conversation…" his reply was dead calm in comparison with Harry's aggressive question. "I think it's my right considering that it's me you are talking about…"

Harry's face hardened even more if that was possible and Hermione glared at the blond haired Slytherin. His presence was so not what she needed right now. He returned it with a cool look and, to her surprise, a wink so Hermione did not know whether to blush or lash out at him. However, it was not for her to decide as Harry interrupted their staring contest with a sharp retort.

"There is nothing to talk about… I have no intention whatsoever to deal with you, so I'll be going." He turned but Malfoy interrupted him.

"Not so fast, Potter," He strolled towards Harry and handed him a tube of parchment.

"What the hell is this?" Harry was holding the roll.

"Have a look," the Slytherin replied coolly though with a hint of sarcasm in his voice and seeing Harry hesitate added tartly, "or common, Potter, you're supposed to be a true Gryffindor lion. Don't be scared, I have not hexed it, no matter how much I was tempted." The last words were muttered under his breathe but not quiet enough, resulting in three deadly glares directed at him.

He shrugged his shoulders and patiently waited for Harry to unroll the parchment. Hermione was watching her friend very closely having no clue what it was that he was reading. At first his expression was suspicious but then he got more and more engrossed in it, a frown creasing his forehead - a firm sign that he was trying to keep his emotions under control. After a while he looked at Malfoy his eyes sparkling dangerously.

"Where did you get that from?" the green eyes were staring at the Slytherin with barely contained fury.

"The Black's family vault," Malfoy seemed unphazed by the hostility of the Gryffindor. "I am the closest male heir…" He noticed the shocked looks he was receiving from the two girls and explained, "My late uncle could give Potter the house in London and whatever else but he could not pass you the Black's estate. It can only be inherited through the blood. The same goes for the Potter's estate. You are the only heir and have full right to it since you have turned 16."

Harry looked at him incredulously for a moment forgetting who it was that stood in front of him. "Potter's estate?" he repeated.

This time Draco's reply was completely serious. "Yes, the Potter's estate: the mansion, the lands, investments, vaults. Potters are a very wealthy, very old pureblood family. I think the mansion is somewhere in Scotland, but the location is secret as it's customary in such cases. If you get to your vault in Gringotts, you will find the paperwork to the location that only you can see."

Harry stood silent trying to process this information his hand gripping the parchment but Hermione could not take this any longer. She quietly touched her friend's arm. "Harry, are you alright?" she asked concerned.

He looked at her with unseeing eyes and then turned to Malfoy. "Why did you give this to me?" he asked.

The blond shrugged again, "It seemed like a good idea…" he replied.

Harry's eyes turned into green blazes, "So that I would become overpowered by gratitude and agree to work with you?"

Malfoy shook his head, "I would never think that you were so intelligent Potter. No, I gave this to you to teach you a lesson. Not everybody who pretends to be your friend has your best interests at heart. Black knew it and paid the price. This whole thing with Pettigrew is insane, they could have questioned Black under veritaserum, we're wizards for Merlin's sake. But they did not…and let him rot in Azkaban for 12 years. And you should ask yourself why? And the answer would be the same as to why you were brought up with your Muggle relatives instead of a wizardian family considering that the ancient protection spell that your mother had placed on you only required a couple of weeks a year in their company?! And again it is the same reason why you have not been informed of your inheritance this summer. I will leave it up to you to put two and two together but even with your Gryffindor narrowmindness you should be able to figure out who's behind it all and then venture a guess why it's been done?"

While he was talking Hermione kept glancing between Malfoy and her friend and she could see Harry's face darkening by the minute. Though Hermione still had no clue of what was in the parchment, from Malfoy's words she could figure out enough to understand his meaning. It was a shocking way of looking at things and she could only imagine how Harry had felt. If Malfoy was saying the truth… Then Dumbledore had allowed Sirius to spend 12 years if Azkaban, and placed Harry with the Dursleys not caring how they would treat their nephew and he also had hidden from Harry the extent of his heritage and fortune. The love and respect that Hermione had developed in the last five years towards her Headmaster was clashing with this new information and she felt her head ready to explode. It was not true, could not be true…

It seemed that Harry had exactly the same thoughts…

"How do I know that you're telling the truth?" he asked tensely.

Draco shrugged in response, "Why would I lie? Plus everything I have said can be easily checked. The thing with Black is a bit more difficult then the rest but doable if you know where to look. Otherwise you just need to get to Gringotts and then commission Granger here to research the blood protecting spells."

The mention of her name seemed to bring Harry back to reality. His face turned suspicious again. "Even if what you're saying is true, it does not change one thing. You are a Death Eater and Voldemort's supporter and I would not believe a word you say about wanting to fight against him."

Malfoy's face turned cold, "I did not think you would, Potter." He turned to Hermione and Luna. "Granger, I promised you that I would tell you about my task when you mastered Advanced Occlumency. I think that time has come." He pulled out a small vial from his pocket and held his wand above his heart. "I, Draco Lucius Malfoy, swear upon the wizardian word of honour that I will reveal to Hermione Jane Granger under the veritaserum the tasks I have been given by Lord Voldemort." He then emptied the content of the vial in one gulp and looked at Hermione.

For a moment she stared at him surprised by such turn of events. Luna elbowed her and Hermione snapped back to reality. For a second she remained quiet trying to gather her thoughts and finally managed to ask in a husky voice. "Draco Lucius Malfoy, have you been given a task by the one calling himself Lord Voldemort."

"Yes," Draco's eyes were focused on her.

"What is this task?"

"To find a way to bring Death Eaters into Hogwarts and kill Professor Dumbledore."

The three students gasped. But Hermione forced herself to continue.

"Were you given the deadline?"

He did not hesitate with the answer, "Yes, by the end of the school year."

"Did you agree?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

There was a short pause and then he replied, "Because he would kill my parents and me if I didn't."

This was something she had expected but having her suspicions confirmed made her feel awful. However she forced herself to continue the interrogation.

"Are you planning to fulfil the task?"

There was another pause and when he replied his voice was a lot softer so the three students had to strain their ears in order to hear him, "Yes and no. I can't be seen to fail… It would cost my mother her life. I need to find a way to make him belief that I was successful and at the same time minimize the damage. Or I will have to run and take my mother with me. But she would not leave my father alone to die and he would not run. Malfoys never run!!" His voice rang with derision, "Stupid git…" It seemed that he was talking to himself now. Then he raised his eyes and stared at Hermione, "I need you, Granger." His gaze was so intense that she felt he was burning a straight path into her very soul. "I can't pull this off on my own…And I am prepared to do anything! Do you hear me? Anything to ensure my parent's safety…"

Hermione stood in shock as did her friends. This confession was so unlike Malfoy, so full of pain and feelings that all three felt almost uncomfortable to witness such display of emotion from always so controlled Slytherin.

Hermione did not feel like she wanted to continue questioning him and also did not really know what else to ask. So she stayed quiet until she heard his cold tone.

"Do you have any more questions? Because I can tell you now this potion only lasts for 1o minutes."

The three friends exchange quick looks and at the end Harry shook his head. He had enough information for one day and did not feel that he wanted to pry any further into a twisted life of Draco Malfoy.

"We don't have any more questions, Draco." Hermione replied for everybody.

He nodded slightly and pulled out another vial from his pocket that he quickly dawned. The next moment he shook his head and looked at all of them, his mask firmly back in its place.

"Satisfied?" his lips twisted into a sneer.

Harry gave him an annoyed look but his glare lacked the real passion. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air which was interrupted by Luna.

"Guys," for the first time her voice seemed to lack its serenity. "We need to decide what's next." She turned to Harry, "What do you think?"

The Gryffindor shook his head, "I don't know Luna. It's a lot to take in one day. I need to think about everything. Go to Gringotts…" He turned around and started walking towards the Castle.

"Harry!" Hermione was ready to go after him but a warm hand stopped her.

"Leave it, Granger. Give him a week or so to cool down and then try talking to him again. At the moment he's not ready to commit to anything."

With that the blond Slytherin nodded to the two girls and headed into the opposite direction from Harry towards the Forest.

**Hi there. I seem to be out of the woods and have some new ideas. Let me know if you think it's going in the right direction, i.e. do you like it? I am hoping to bring Draco and Hermione closer together in the next couple of chapters. I think it's time for some romance... **


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you for all the reviews. This is the promised chapter... and promised romance. Let me know if I got it right.**

Chapter 14

Later that night Hermione was sitting alone in the Gryffindor common room catching up on hefr homework, which for her meant doing the work for next week instead of what was due in a fortnight.

She was just putting finishing touches on her Transfiguration paper, when the portrait door swung open and in stumbled Harry. He had a broom in his hand and it was obvious that he had been out flying.

"Harry!" Hermione was not prepared to see her friend.

He also seemed not too keen to find her still awake. "What are you doing still up?" he asked.

She shrugged, "Catching up on my homework."

He nodded in acknowledgement but Hermione could see that his thoughts were far away. He looked weary and troubled. Suddenly she could not take it anymore. Maybe Draco was right advising to give Harry some space but she was not the type to stay quiet when a friend was in pain.

"Look," she started gently, "I can only imagine how you feel. Everything that Malfoy said this afternoon, it just does not make sense," she paused trying to find the right words, "and at the same time it does. And it's so scary…" she tried to catch his eyes but Harry was not looking at her and Hermione inwardly sighed, "I understand that you want to think things over but please don't push me away… I want to help you in whatever shape or form. If you want me to research the blood protection spells or find out information about Sirius or even simply talk… I am here for you."

This time he did look at her but she could not decipher his expression, "I am here for you…" he repeated her words slowly and she could hear a bitter edge in his tone as his lips twisted into a grim smile. "Funny, it seems that just two months ago I said exactly the same thing. I am glad to see that you took my words close to heart. I mean for how long you were working with Malfoy, three months?"

Hermione hung her head and he continued his voice rising with every word. "It was he who taught you Occlumency, wasn't he? And that thing with him and Zabini, it was not an accident that you were in the Forbidden Forest that night. You lied to the whole School!! To hell with the school, you lied to me…" By now his green eyes were blazing with anger as he took a step towards her. "How could you do this Hermione? Going behind my back all this time!" His anger disappeared as quickly as it rose and now his eyes expressed only hurt and confusion that were like a blow to the gut for her

Hermione face blushed with shame, "I am so sorry, Harry. I did not think you would let me do it if I told you about his involvement…"

"Sure I would not," he shot, "and with very good reasons." He sighed exasperatedly, "He's a Death Eater, Hermione, he is an enemy. He made our lives hell for the last five years. And you trusted him to teach you Occlumency, one of the most dangerous skills there is. You have put all of us in danger, you know so much about me and the Order, and you gave all this information into the enemy's hands. How much of it have ended up in the hands of Voldemort by now!!"

Now it was Hermione turn to get angry. How could he think that she was so stupid?! She had been saving his life for the past five years!

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me," she rolled her eyes, "Wake up Harry, I am not an imbecile. Every time I had a practice with Malfoy I have extracted all the memories related to you and the Order into a pensive. And for your information, it was Malfoy's wish as well. He did not want to know!"

Harry's lips twisted into a sarcastic smile, "Is that what he told you? Jeez, you can be so naïve sometime."

Hermione's eyes darkened and she felt fury well inside her. "Don't patronise me. I am not that deem-witted side kick of yours. I am your friend whether you believe it or not. Do you remember the beginning of this year? You could not sleep for two hours straight without waking up the whole house with screams from the nightmares that Voldemort planted into your brain… And the lessons with Snape and Dumbledore did not make it an iota better. So I had to make a deal with Malfoy just so I could help you. Do you think I enjoyed begging him for help? Hell, I sacrificed for this more than you know, just to save you from going insane!!"

Her words broke through the wall of his resentment. Harry's face paled as he stared at her with horror. "Sacrificed?" he repeated huskily. "Hermione, you did not…" He trailed off and from his suddenly pink face, she guessed what kind of sacrifice her friend had thought about.

She blushed as well. "No, Harry, nothing like that." She paused and continued trying to find the right words. "Malfoy… He is not evil like we thought." His expression clouded and she hurried to continued, "Listen to me Harry. I thought exactly like you before this summer. But then I bumped into him in HMV, he was buying Muggle music! We ended up talking and…" she bit her lip trying to keep her story to the minimum, "He is not a hero, not by a long shot and still a real Slytherin. But he does not hate muggles, does not like Voldemort and actually able to care about people, at least those he calls friends. He is also not a coward. In my books this is good enough to seek his help in this war."

She could see his doubtful expression and took a step towards him peering into his face pleadingly, "I want to minimize the risks, Harry. To you, to me, to Ron and everybody else who fights on the Light side. The more people we can draw away from Voldemort the better are our chances for success. And Malfoy, whether you like it or not, is a strong ally and a tough enemy. Both due to his name and his personality… So when I saw that there was a chance of turning him, I had to try and I am sorry I did not tell you… But please believe me that whatever I have done, was done with your best interests at heart."

His face softened but she could still see the troubled wrinkles around his eyes. "I believe you, Hermione." He paused and added quietly but steady, "but I still can't forgive you for not telling me." She shrunk back as if he hit her and he continued quickly, "I have been lied to by some many people so many times… But I could have sworn my life that you would never do anything behind my back. And now… I just don't know if I could go back to trusting you like I used to."

If he had yelled at her again Hermione would have felt a lot better, but his soft pained tone made his words sound that much more serious and hurt her more than he could have imagine. She could not contain tears forming in her eyes and he sighed. He hated to see her crying. "Look," he continued, "Don't get too upset. It's true I am mad at you but it's not that we are not friends any longer. I just need some time." Her shot her one more look and headed to the boys dormitory leaving Hermione alone in the empty common room.

She stood there for while, desperately trying to calm down. She felt heartbroken. This year was not going well for her. She had already lost Ron and now her friendship with Harry was on the rocks. If he did not forgive her, what on Earth was she going to do?! Unconsciously her hand came up to her chest clutching a pendant that she was wearing as her thoughts drifted away. She stood like that for a few minutes when a strange sound shook her out of her thoughts and the next moment a tall figure of Draco Malfoy was standing in front of her. If she was not so shocked by his sudden arrival she probably would have laughed at his appearance: his hair was messed up from sleep and his faced wore a scowl that was almost a trademark look for somebody who had been just unceremoniously awoken. Alternatively she would have blushed at seeing his body in such state of undress: clad in a pair of black silk pyjama pants and a matching robe that was haphazardly tied leaving most of his chest in plain view.

However, in her present state it took Hermione a second to take in his appearance and to comprehend the thought that it was indeed Draco Malfoy standing in the middle of the Gryffindor common room. Panic struck her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she shrieked.

"What?" he looked at her incredulously and then repeated slowly biting out every word. "What am I doing here?" he took a step towards her, "I think the question is what are you doing, Granger, activating the pendant in the middle of the freaking night and making me show up into the goddamn Gryffindor nest."

His words made Hermione gasp as she realised that she was still holding the Link Pendant in her hand and that while she was mopping over Harry's words she indeed pictured herself in Draco's arms. Her face turned bright red and all she wanted was for the floor to open and swallow her whole. She took a deep breathe trying to calm down, "I am sorry," she started trying to appease him so that he would just leave and she could crawl to bed a burry herself there.

"I did not do it on purpose…I just never thought that it worked so easily…" A thought struck her and for a second she forgot her embarrassment. "Does it work like this every time?" this was her chance to steer the conversation into a different direction. "This is quite dangerous, don't you think? If I was captured and you were just thrown into the room to save me, what good would it do if there were ten Death Eaters standing around me?"

Draco shrugged impatiently, "Well, firstly I think I could do a lot of good to you in that setting since Death Eaters would consider me to be one of their own?! And secondly, it does not work like that. The pendant lets me know where you are, whether you are alone and what you feeling. Like now, I knew that you were in the Gryffindor common room, alone and upset, not scared."

"Oh…" Hermione could feel herself turning red again, but she refused to show him how embarrassed she was, and lifted her chin defiantly, "Well, if you knew all that, then you did not have to come."

His eyes narrowed as he took a step closer almost spitting his next words into her face, "No, Granger, I had to come. With this thing I don't have a choice, I have to show up when you call me... and help you."

His voice was so full of annoyance and irritation that Hermione's anger flared again, "You calling this help?" she shot scathingly. "Well, in that case next time you should not bother! I will be better off on my own."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous," he objected impatiently. "If you really needed me I would be more than happy to help. But now you just want a pillow to cry into and this pendant is for more important things!!"

"This is important," she took a step towards him now almost shaking from all the emotions, "I am about to lose my last friend. If Harry does not forgive me, what am I going to do? I don't have any other friends, I will be again alone like before I came to Hogwarts and in the first year. And I can't do it any more. I hate being alone… It kills me." She stared at him in shock realising that she had just blurted out her deepest secret to him. Her eyes went wide and she turned on her heels ready to run. But she did not get far.

A pair of strong hands wrapped around her as she was pulled into a warm hard body. Though part of her wanted nothing more then to lean into him, she could not forget that it was the same Draco Malfoy who just embarrassed her and shouted at her. She struggled against him but he did not let go instead bringing her closer. His right arm wrapped firmly around her waist pulling her flush against his body. His left arm wound into her hair tilting her head as his lips descended on hers.

It was not like their first kiss, tentative and exploratory, but rough and full of passion. He did not ask for the access to her mouth, opting instead for pulling sharply on her hair making her gasp and allowing his tongue to invaded her mouth, swiping into every cavity. Such powerful assault shocked her to the core and she froze but only for a second. A tidal wave of heat swept through her whole body and she responded to him, her tongue battling with his as she grabbed onto his arm that was still wrapped around her. He took it as a sign and bit on her lip making her moan. The sound seemed to snap him out as he pulled away from her. For a second Hermione thought that he was going to let go of her as he did in the hospital wing but instead his lips travelled down her cheek and reached her soft neck where he nibbled on the sensitive skin behind her ear. The action made her knees go weak as she almost hung on his arm. His lips travelled to the crook of her neck as he quickly span her around and found her mouth again. All coherent thoughts left her as she gripped his shoulders for support, and all she could think about was how wonderful it felt to be pressed against him so tightly.

She had no idea how long they continued kissing when a loud voice from behind interrupted their activities.

"Oi, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

They broke apart and quickly turned around. Hermione's heart sank as she recognised the lanky figure of her former boyfriend, his face contorted with fury she had never seen before.

"Malfoy!" he spat. "And you!" His eyes shot daggers into Hermione, "I should have known!! Took you long enough to show your true colours. I was not good enough for you so you decided to shag the ferret instead?!" He snorted with disgust, "Scheming bitch!"

Never in her life was Hermione so furious. She saw red in front of her, her teeth clenched spasmodically as a blinding hatred flooded her senses. Without even thinking she pulled out her wand and pointed it at Ron but before she could do anything with it, Draco stepped forward pushing her behind him.

"Well, at least she shows good taste," he stated deadly calm, "you on the other hand went for Lavender Shag-everything-that-walks Brown. My congratulations!!"

His last words almost drowned in the animal roar that Ron emitted launching himself from half way up the staircase on to the blond Slytherin. Such leap was not something that Malfoy expected and he only managed to unceremoniously push Hermione behind the couch before Ron collided with him, both of them falling to the floor exchanging punches.

She scrambled on her feet trying to locate her wand that she dropped when he shoved her back. Draco and Ron were rolling on the floor hitting the furniture and each other and Hermione wandered briefly why the whole House had not been woken up yet. She finally found her wand but before she could use it Draco managed to get one hand around Ron's throat and delivered him a hard blow with his fist causing the Gryffindor to pass out. The blond boy quickly extricated himself from the red head leaving his robe behind as it was partially wrapped around Ron's limp body.

Hermione looked back and forth from her former friend lying unconscious on the floor to her former enemy who-has-just-snogged-her-senseless and was now standing shirtless in front her, his muscles still rippling under the sweat gleaming skin.

He was not looking at her as he searched around him for something. Before she could ask him, he swore under his breath. "Granger, give me your wand," he demanded not too politely.

"What for?" she asked and gasped when he turned around to her, just now noticing that he was bleeding from the corner of his mouth.

"Draco!" she started but he waved at her impatiently.

"Your wand, Granger, we need to immobilize him before he wakes up and starts punching me again."

Hermione inwardly cringed but she realised that it was the only way to avoid another fight. She pointed her wand at Ron. "Petrificus Totalus," she muttered feeling slightly guilty. The redhead's body went rigid.

"Now levitate him on the couch," Malfoy ordered. She gave him an annoyed look not being used to be bossed around like that but did it nonetheless. When Ron was safely on the sofa, Draco picked up his robe and pulled out his own wand from the pocket but not bothering getting dressed. He pointed his wand at Ron but she grabbed his arm.

"What the hell are you doing?" she demanded.

He gave her a confused look, "Obliviating him, what do you think?" And when she frowned, rolled his eyes, "What other choice do we have? If we don't obliviate him, he'll go around Hogwarts telling everybody that he caught us snogging in the Gryffindor common room! Do you want that?"

She shook her head and he smirked, "Thought so. Now you can do it yourself or you can let me?" She shook her head again and let go of his arm. The blond turned to Ron and said calmly, "Obliviate." The red spark flew from his wand and hit the Gryffindor. Hermione winced.

"What will he remember tomorrow?" she asked shakily.

Draco turned to her, "Everything," he replied calmly, "accept from the point he left his dorm." With another swish of his wand he levitated Ron's body to the bottom of the staircase, "he'll think that he had fallen down on his way to the common room."

Hermione nodded, her thoughts going wild. She could not believe how her life had changed. She was standing in the middle of Gryffindor common room with half naked Draco Malfoy who had just defended her against Ron Weasley – the boy she had crush on for the last 3 years. Moreover she had just allowed Draco to obliviate Ron and did nothing to protect the fellow Gryffindor. This was too much to take in and Hermione felt her brain refusing the process all the information.

Draco noticed her dazed state as he came closer to her, his hands grabbing her shoulders as he shook her firmly. "Granger, snap out of it!"

Her brown eyes stared at him and he sighed. He hated seeing her so distressed, it did weird things to his heart and he could not afford another display of emotions like earlier that night. "Hermione," his voice sounded softer, "it's OK. You have done nothing wrong. _He_ insulted you and attacked me. All we did was defending. And the fact that _I_ obliviated him, it would not do him any harm. I swear…"

She shook her head trying to gather her thoughts. "I would have hexed him," she whispered finally. "When he said… I was so mad, I could have…"

He stopped her rant by pressing his finger to her lips. "But you did not…" his grey eyes regarded her calmly.

"Only because you pushed me away."

Draco shrugged, "He insulted you and he is your friend, it's a lot more difficult to control yourself in such situations."

"He was my friend," she corrected meekly.

He did not reply and instead tilted her face so she was looking into his eyes, "Look," he said calmly, "you have to promise me that you are not going to beat yourself up about this." She tried to look away but he held her chin firmly. "Granger, you can't go around mopping. We don't have time for this. You'll just have to cope with things and move on. We have so much to do and very little time to do it. And it's not going to get any easier. This," he pointed to Ron, "it just a beginning."

His eyes bored into her. He needed to be sure that she was going to be OK. He mentally kicked himself. It was his own fault, he should not have shouted at her when she used the Pendant and sure as hell, he should not have kissed her. Then none of this would have happened. But at the moment it was not important, he would analyse his actions later and if needed take some measures. But now he was tired and sore and all he wanted was to be back in his bed. And before that he needed to make sure that Hermione was back to being know-it-all Gryffindor princess.

He studied her face trying to read her reaction to his words. Had she calm down, was she still feeling guilty and confused? Her amazingly bright eyes were staring at him as if trying to get to the bottom of his soul. But for once he could not understand what she was thinking.

And the next moment he was blown away. The rich brown colour of her eyes suddenly got lighter, first turning amber, then green, blue and at the end he was looking into the two pools of silver that were so much like his own. Hermione took a step forward, her body coming flush against his, her arms wrapped around him and she hugged him tightly and at the same time tenderly, mindful of his bruises. The pendant she was wearing touched his naked skin and he could feel the stone releasing a warm glow. It only lasted a second and if Draco had not seen the changes in her eyes he might have not even noticed it. When she pulled away to gently wipe away the blood from his split lip, her eyes were already back to normal. But it was too late.

Draco was shaken to the core. Merlin, he knew that it might happen to him one day. But in his wildest dreams he could not have imagined it to happen with her of all people, so early in his life and that easy!! She did not even notice…He was so shaken that he did not object when she pulled out her wand and waved it around his face healing his cuts and bruises and then proceeded to do the same to his body, her hand gliding over his skin as she took a sharp intake of breathe in the process.

For the first time in his life Draco Malfoy was lost of words. He stared at her, mouth agape, his only thought being a silent plea, "Merlin, help me." But it seemed that he was not heard as she reached to his face and softly kissed him on the mouth.

"Thank you, Draco," she whispered and blushed prettily but continued, "For saving me from myself, for fighting for me and for trying to make me feel better."

She noticed the shock written on his face and figured out that he was not going to reply. Though she could not understand the sudden change in him as he continued to stare at her with a mixture of fear and amazement, she assumed that it was caused by her relatively bold touches. Though in her mind it was not much considering of what he did to her earlier with his kisses. And she would be damned if she got embarrassed about touching him: it felt right before she did it and now even more so.

She smiled at him softly and pushed him toward the portrait hole. "You should go before somebody else wakes up."

He left without saying another word. He had a lot to think about… And he would need to get advice… Merlin help him… And God help Hermione Granger…


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The next morning found Harry up early heading to the owlery to give Hedwig a letter to deliver. After spending the night awake, brooding over everything that happened during the day, he realised that he needed to talk to somebody. Somebody who had nothing to do with Dumledore, Hogwarts and everything else that surrounded him on a daily basis. And to his luck, Harry had just the person he needed.

He could not put everything in his letter but he did request a meeting the following weekend at Hogsmead and prayed to God, that she would be able to make it. It's been so long since he had seen her and he was aching to feel her body next to his. This hope made his insides turn so he picked up his pace as he reached the owlery.

There he almost collided with a person who was just leaving and to his displeasure recognised the blond hair of Draco Malfoy. Harry mentally cursed. Malfoy was the last person he wanted to see and by the looks of it the Slytherin was just as "pleased" to see him.

"Potter," he nodded taking a step backwards making sure to put some distance between tfhem.

"Malfoy," Harry replied just as coldly. And seeing as Draco was blocking the entrance added curtly, "Would you mind?"

The Slytherin moved out of the way without saying a word and Harry hurried inside. Perhaps this time him and Malfoy could just go their separate ways without getting into a fight. That would be an achievement indeed. But Harry's relief was short lived.

"Potter, a word…" he heard behind his back. He swirled around and saw the Slytherin still standing in the entrance with an unreadable look on his face.

"What do you want?" Harry was in no mood for a chat, especially with Malfoy.

Draco inwardly sighed. He was not sure that he was doing the right thing. But he felt he had to do something. He spent most of the night awake, thinking about the changes in Hermione's eyes. He decided to delay the final verdict until he had spoken to his mentor, which he hoped would occur the coming weekend as he requested a meeting in his letter. But it was more likely than not that his fears would be confirmed and that it was indeed the beginning of a bonding ritual, which meant that he would have to make a decision whether complete or abolish it.

So it made sense to him to try and resolve things with Potter beforehand and talking to him was a necessary though unpleasant step. "Don't blame her," Draco started and when the Gryffindor frowned repeated, "Don't blame Granger for going behind your back. She only wanted to help you and felt really bad for not telling you the whole truth. So go easy on her. She already is beating herself up, you don't need to add to her guilt."

Harry's face clouded, "Why are you defending her?" he asked suspiciously.

Draco did not like his tone. "Why do you think?" he snarled and when Harry's eyes narrowed, added sarcastically, "Oh, give me a break. She is not my type. But no matter what you think of me, I can recognise a decent person when I see one. And Granger with all her annoying qualities is such a goody two shoes and so devoted to you that accusing her of betraying is simply ridiculous."

Harry could not believe his ears, "Malfoy, have you fallen down on your head or something? When have you started caring about people?"

Draco's eyes narrowed, "Watch your mouth, Potter… You know nothing about me. If I don't go around pretending to be Mr Nice, does not mean I am a complete bastard."

"Could have fooled me," Harry muttered.

Draco scowled in response, "Look, Potter, I honestly don't give a damn what you think about me. I just want to tell you that you are in no position to judge Granger." And when Harry raised an eyebrow at him, continued silkily, "She is not the only one having secrets. She did not tell you that she was working with me. And you don't tell her that for the last three months you have been shagging some blond."

Harry froze on the spot. It could not be, he could not possibly know… "What are you talking about?" he tried to feign innocence.

"Oh, come of it, Potter," Draco was almost enjoying himself if it was not for the dangerous glint in the Gryffindor's eyes making him feel as if he was baiting a lion. "You are a bad liar. I know you are dating some blond. I've seen you during the first Hogsmead weekend, when you left Granger and Weasel and went to the Shrieking Shack with her. And considering that Hogwarts is a heaven of gossip, I know that you have been getting letters from an anonymous correspondent every week. I have simply put two and two together."

Harry had enough, with his seeker speed he launched himself at Malfoy, "Whom did you tell?" he hissed.

Draco shoved him back, "Nobody. I could not care less who you date. That's why I did now even try to follow you and find out who she is. And the only reason I have mentioned this now is because you need to get down from your high horse. Granger did not tell you about trying to get my help for the Order because she thought you would go mental and not accept her help. And you are not telling anybody about your girlfriend because, and I am venturing a guess here, there would be plenty of people not too happy with your choice. So you are in no position to talk about betrayal of trust or whatever it was you accused Granger of."

His lecturing tone annoyed the hell out of Harry and he was ready to object but then stopped himself. What would another argument with Malfoy achieve?! Last night when he could not sleep he went over everything that he learnt during the day and came to the conclusion that he had already forgiven Hermione.

He knew that she always had his best interests at heart and was his only real friend. And though it did piss him off that she had started to work with Malfoy behind his back, he had to admit that turning the Slytherin from the Dark side was a brilliant idea.

They needed to weaken Voldemort and all methods were good, even working with a snake like Malfoy. Harry also had to admit that he did not have the brains to come up with such scheme. Though he was bright enough, political games were always beyond him - he was a typical Gryffindor at that. Hermione who had a definite Ravenclaw side to her could devise such a complicated plan but execution of it had to be done by a Slytherin and who better than Malfoy.

All these thoughts were swimming in his had as he tried to wrap his mind around all the revelations of the last twenty four hours and his biggest worry was that he could not understand why Malfoy was so willing to help him. He would have loved to have all the time in the world to figure this out but time was a luxury he did not have. So instead he opted to ask a direct question.

"Why are you willing to help me?" the question was blunt and quite different from the topic they were discussing but Draco was not surprised. He knew that it would boil down to this and no matter how much he despised having to explain himself to people, he would have to answer Potter and be somewhat honest at that. So he looked straight into the green eyes and replied.

"Because I am not going to be anybody's servant, especially not to some half blooded orphan."

Harry's eyes became cold but he nodded accepting the reply. He could believe this explanation and Draco inwardly sighed with relief. He guessed right. Potter would never believe in him actually being against Voldemort's ideas but he would believe that he was too proud to follow the rule of the Dark Lord. For now it was good enough.

"So what do you want in return for your help?" Harry asked again.

Draco's face remained emotionless. "I want a pardon for everyone who joins me. And a guarantee of safety for my family." Harry's eye turned into two green slits and Draco smirked, "And before you blow your gasket, I only mean my immediate family, my mother and my father. Bellatrix is all yours for what I care."

Harry nodded curtly acknowledging this important difference, "I am in no position to promise such things. You would have to go to Dumbledore."

Malfoy shook his head, "No, I am not going to him. Potter, I am offering my help to you, not Dumbledore. I would not want to have anything to do with him. Your promise would be enough. Because by the time we're done he would not be leading the Order, you would."

Harry frowned, "I will not let you kill him Malfoy."

"I am not planning on that," Draco sounded almost bored.

"Then what…" Harry started but was interrupted midsentence.

"Look, Potter," the Slytherin's patience was at the last tether, "this conversation leads us absolutely no where. You don't trust me, I don't trust you and so on. Can we just agree that we will work together on defeating the Dark Lord. I will do what I see fit, you'll do what you see fit. I promise not to harm any members of the Order unless to save my own life. And you promise to do the same for those who join me plus my parents. After Voldemort is gone we go our separate ways."

Harry considered this suggestion for a second. "How do I know you're not lying?" he asked finally.

"Cross my heart and hope to die?" Draco lifted his eyebrows suggestively.

"It's not a joke Malfoy," Harry warned. "I have all the reasons not to trust you. You pride yourself on being a perfect Slytherin, who the most untrustworthy bunch I have ever seen in my life."

"And you are a true Gryffindor, acting first and thinking second," Draco retorted without even bothering to hide his annoyance. The boy who lived was turning out to be an even bigger pain in the arse than he first thought. "Look at it this way Potter. If your side finds out that you are dealing with me, the worse they do would give you a lecture on "constant vigilance". My side on the other hand would crucify me but instead of cross and nails they would use a cruciatus curse. And before you go on another huff, the chances of them finding out are high enough. Because you have a tendency of feeling guilty and spilling things to the Order that has at least a couple of spies in its midst and also you have a permanent link to Voldemort," he gestured at Harry's scar, "that no amount of Occlumency can protect you from for a 100. So if you think I am bloody joking here, then you are even more of an idiot than I thought."

Harry shook his head stubbornly not taking the bait. "This is all semantics, Malfoy. Yes, you risk a lot if you are truly going to help me, but I risk everything if you're setting up a trap on behalf of your master. And even if you're not planning on this now, what happens when you change your mind half way through when things get really tough and go back to Voldemort? I am sure he would be delighted to welcome you back if you deliver my head on a silver plate!"

Draco groaned frustratedly and raked his hand through his hair - a childhood gesture that he fought long and hard to contain. "We sign an unbreakable vow and let Granger come up with a magical contract," he suggested reluctantly and seeing that Harry was about to say something, added quickly. "Look, Potter, we have been enemies for the last five years. We don't like each other, we don't trust each other. In the ideal world we would either stay as far away from each other as possible or it would take us years to get passed the mutual prejudice. But we don't have that kind of luxury. By the end of the year we need to be in a position to fight Voldemort and it's already November. We have 6 months and every hour counts. So either you agree and we work together or you decide to say "no" and we'll just bury the whole thing."

Harry frowned, "And what about your task, Malfoy?"

The grey eyes hardened, "What about it?" he asked annoyed.

"I will not let you kill Dumbledre."

"Oh, Merlin," Draco lost patience, this boy was infuriating. "I don't want to kill Dumbledore… Why would I do that?" And seeing Harry's suspicious face growled. "He is a powerful wizard so the outcome is uncertain. It would never be enough for the Dark Lord to leave me alone, because nothing is ever enough for him. And if I do kill him, I would have to spend the rest of life in hiding from either the Ministry or you lot, or both? Which ever way, I will lose and it's not a Slytehrin way of doing business."

His words were convincing but Harry still had doubts and Draco sensed it and could not contain his temper any more. "For Merlin's sake," he exploded, "what do I need to do to convince you Potter. Strut into the Great Hall and call Voldemort a wanker?!"

His anger transferred to Harry, "What do you want from me, Malfoy?" he yelled. "You have been a right pain in the arse for me and my friends for five years. You admitted that you are a Death Eater, your father tried to kill me and my friends and your aunt killed my Godfather. I have all the reasons not to trust you."

Draco glared at him coldly, "And what am I supposed to do about it?" he shot sarcastically. "I don't trust you, you don't trust me - we are back at square one."

"No we're not," came a quiet voice from behind them. Both boys jumped from surprise and swirled around. They saw Hermione standing at the top of the stairs. She held a letter in her hand that explained her presence in the owlery this early in the morning.

Hermione had hardly slept the previous night and all her worries were written on her pale face with dark circles under the eyes and wrinkles of concentration creasing her forehead. She looked wary and somewhat fragile but the sheer determination was written on her face. "You might not like each other and you might not trust each other," she continued seeing their stunned faces, "But both of you believe in me and I believe in you. At the moment that's enough. I will be an intermediary between the two of you until you learn to trust each other."

XXXXX

Her words sealed the deal. The UAW (United Association of Wizards) had been officially set up that day. It would grow to be one of the most respected and powerful organisations in the wizardian world and its founders would become historic figures. But no one would ever know the truth about its formation, that UAW was born out of determination of a muggle-born, cunning of a pureblood and reluctance of a half-blood.

**Reviews are very welcome.**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

When Draco finally made it into the Great Hall for breakfast it was already full of students. The animated morning chatter did nothing to improve his mood as he scowled at especially noisy group of first year Gryffindors. He stocked to his place at the head of the Slytherin table and set down next to Blaise whose usual tanned face had a distinct shade of green to it. The Italian was nursing a cup of coffee in his hand and Draco hurried to pour himself some as well hoping that it would have a desired effect on his pounding head.

Last night him and Blaise got really drunk on a smuggled bottle of 30-year old Firewhisky and this morning both woke up with a horrendous hangover fonly to realise that after the weekend's party the Slytherin house had ran out of the hangover potion. They had no other choice but to revert to the old muggle recipe of hot shower and strong coffee while they waited for a store at Hogsmead to open so they could send one of the house elves there.

However it was still about two hours before the first shop would open so Draco had to resign himself to seating next to his munching housemates. His eyes landed on Grabbe and Goyle that were stuffing their faces on sausages and bacon rolls and the sight nearly made him puke. He forced himself to take deep breathe as his closed his eyes and attempted to tune out all the noise and concentrate on relaxing his muscles in order to try and use mediating techniques to combat his pounding headache. He was doing quite well when a loud voice interrupted his ministrations nearly making him jump. Annoyed he opened his eyes and froze. The voice belonged to Headmaster Dumbledore who had just walked in from the teacher's entrance into the Great Hall followed closely by two blond girls. The sight of them made the male population of Hogwarts drop their forks as they stared at the newcomers.

"Good Morning, everyone!" Dumbledore greeted the school. "I have a short announcement this morning. Hogwarts is honoured to have two new students who would join us from today until the end of the year. Most of you already know them, but for those who don't, these are Miss Fleur Delacour and her younger sister Miss Gabriel Delacour. Miss Fleur had arrived to become an apprentice with Madam Pomfrey and her sister Gabriele is going to join the classes with the fifth year Ravenclaw as she had gone through the sorting ceremony this morning." He paused and surveyed his empire. "I hope you will make our guests feel welcome and their stay pleasant. Enjoy your day." With these words the Headmaster swept out of the Great Hall, leaving his students to ogle the French girls.

And it was indeed a sight to behold. Fleur Delacour was just as breathtakingly beautiful as she had been on her first arrival to Hogwarts. And Gabriel had gone through some amazing changes. Two years ago she was a sweet innocent girl of about eight or nine. But now she looked like a gorgeous young woman with willowy figure, heart shape face and long blond hair. She also seemed to be about fifteen-sixteen years old which explained her being placed with the fifth years but made the changes in her appearance even more remarkable. The two sisters shared a lot of common features with Gabriel being slightly shorter and with wilder hair than Fleur.

The two girls seemed to be completely unphased by being scrutinized so closely. They exchanged a few quick words after which the younger girl headed towards the Ravenclaws and Fleur stayed at the teachers table being welcomes by Professor Flitwick. She leaned towards the little man but her blue eyes swept quickly over the student population meeting first a pair of grey and then a pair of green eyes. Both were filled with disbelief which was by no means unfriendly. A smile touched her lips as she turned her attention to the Charms Professor leaving Hogwarts population to gossip about the new arrivals.

XXX

Ron Weasley was angry with the world, he was angry with his parents for not having more money; his brothers for being more popular, confident and successful than him; his sister for being the only girl in the family whom everybody went out of their way to spoil. He realised that these feelings did not make him a good person and he fought them long and hard. These people were his family, they loved him, and he loved them back in spite of anything else that he felt towards them.

His friends, however, were another matter. The resentment he felt towards them had been growing for years and had now reached new heights. He was totally fed up to always remain in the shadow of these two. Harry – an openly proclaimed saviour of the wizardian world and Hermione – whom everybody and their uncle called the brightest witch of her age.

Ron hated the fact that both his friends always had better grades than he did, even if Harry did not study an ounce more than him; they had more money, because though Hermione's parents were muggle, they seemed to be well off. And on top of that all, now both of them had betrayed him: Hermione Granger had dumped him without a second thought and Harry as usually chose her side. At first Ron thought that his friend was in love with Hermione but after observing them together, he came to the conclusion that that was highly unlikely. Ron had seen his brothers with Ginny enough times to realise that Harry treated Hermione like a sister.

However, during the last week there was something strange about behaviour of both of his friends. They seemed to be constantly pre-occupied with one thing or another. They rarely participated in any event that was going on in the Gryffindor common room. Harry kept receiving his mysterious letters and Hermione's eyes seemed to wonder a lot to the Slytherin table, to the space where Malfoy and Zabini were seated. Hermione had also begun to hang out a lot more with Luna Lovegood rather than Ginny and every once in a while they would be talking to Ernie McMillan.

The Gryffindor Princess also seemed to take a lot more care in her appearance, her skirts becoming shorter, her shirts and robes tighter, she even started to wear a subtle amount of make-up, which did not go unnoticed by the male population of Hogwarts, who all over sudden discovered that the Gryffindor bookworm had a pretty face and a curvy body.

The transformation in Harry was even more pronounced. He had grown several inches in height and gained a few pounds of muscle. His confidence had increase dramatically and he now carried himself with an air of calmness and cool self-control. Together these changes made him into some sort of magnet for the girls above third year and perhaps only Malfoy and Zabini attracted more attention.

These changes did not go unnoticed by Ron and had done nothing to decrease his jealousy. He was determined to figure out what was going behind all these and soon he was given a chance to do it.

It was a Saturday of a Hogsmead weekend, the day after arrival of the Delacours. Harry had been called to Dumbledore which to Ron's surprise caused his friend to frown in annoyance before hastily disappearing somewhere.

Luna had convinced Hermione to go and visit the twin's joke shop and Neville wanted to come with them. That left Ron to either go with Lavender and her girlfriends, which would be the same as pulling teeth without a numbing potion, or go with Dean and Seamus. He promised Lavender to meet with her for lunch at Three Broomsticks and went back to Gryffindor common room to get his clock. While passing a classroom he almost got knocked down by the door swinging open. "Shrieking Shack at 11," he heard a female voice say. "I will tell him." Gabriele Delacour had swept out of the room giving Ron a brief smile before disappearing down the hallway.

The redhead stood still for a moment before following her. His curiosity was aroused. Gabriele was speaking French obviously assuming that he did not understand her. But due to his participation in a trial of a new Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes product last week he was able to understand her as he would be able to understand the elves, Chinese, Russians, gnomes or trolls.

That's how half an hour later Ron had slipped into the Shrieking Shack. He found a nice hiding spot in the big old wardrobe and made himself comfortable on a large blanket that he took from his dorm, casting a Disillusionment Charm around himself. He waited for about thirty minutes when he heard footsteps. Through the large crack he could see the room perfectly clear and could not wait to find out who would arrive to the scene first.

He did not know whom he had expected but was still surprised to see Draco Malfoy enter the room. The Slytherin gave the room a quick look over and waved his wand creating a small fireplace with a table, chair and a comfy couch. He then brushed an invisible speck of dust from his robe and settled himself in the chair to wait.

In the meantime Ron was raking his brains on what the Delacour sisters had to do with the annoying Slytherin. He was not even aware that they knew each other! However his thoughts were interrupted by a loud shriek and Gabriele Delacour came flying into the room throwing herself into the Slytherin's arms. "Draco!"

The blond boy caught her in his arms and planted a kiss on top of her head, "Hi Gabi, I am glad to see you too."

She gave him a bear hug and then let go grinning from ear to year. Her older sister had just made her way into the room and enveloped Draco in warm embrace of her own.

"So good to see you Fleur!" Ron did not even recognised Slytherin's voice, there was so much warmth in it.

"Same here, Draco."

She pulled away from Malfoy and looked deeply into his eyes, "Your letter worried me," she said quietly, "I felt that you needed help."

Draco smiled innocently, "I only asked if you would be able to visit Hogsmead this weekend."

"Yes, you did. But I know you… You never ask me in such a formal way. It means that it was really important. So," she gave him a playfully stern look, "Spill it and tell me what happened."

They were all speaking French and Ron once again thanked his brothers for making him their guinea pig. However, next minute he realised that they still had some way to go before making their new product perfect. Malfoy and Delacour sisters were now talking so fast that Ron could not only understand every other word. However, it was sufficient to get the main gist of the conversation and Ron quickly learned a few new things about himself and his former girlfriend Hermione Granger.

XXXX

Draco told Fleur and Gabriele everything starting with how he gave Hermione the Link Pendant up to the events of the night with the bonding, leaving out everything related to the UAW. Against reason he was hoping that there was another explanation but even this feeble hope died down with every word he said. The two girls listened without interruption and when he finished Fleur took his hand in hers.

"You know the answer, Draco," she said calmly.

Draco's attempt at a smile failed miserably, "She has bonded to me…" he stated.

Both sisters nodded and when he got up and started pacing the room, Gabriele asked, "Why are you surprised Draco? I mean you admitted yourself that you kissed her twice. You've been spending quite a bit of time together; you defended her against her former boyfriend, what is so strange about her bonding to you?"

Draco swirled around, looking almost angry, "What is so strange?" he repeated, "Merlin, where should I begin? How about the fact that we have nothing in common? Or that just three months ago she hated my guts?"

Fleur shook her head, "You know it does not work like that, Draco. Three month is a very long time in human relationship."

Malfoy just huffed in reply and Fleur also started to lose her patience. "Look, Draco, you should have been more careful. If you did not want to have any consequences you should not have kissed her."

"It was just a bloody kiss," Draco retorted indignantly, "I have not even slept with her like…" He stopped abruptly not wanting to continue. His eyes darted to Gabriele

Fleur rolled her eyes and the younger girl smirked, "Oh don't mind me," she said coolly and seeing his doubtful face, laughed. "Draco, you've been away from France for too long. We are not as uptight as you, Brits. I know you are not practicing celibacy." The Slytherin glared at her but she continued unphased, "But Fleur is right. From what I know Hermione Granger is not your stereotypical teen-age girl. And you have also given her the Pendant."

"I wanted to repay her," the blond boy retorted.

"I know," Fleur smiled at him softly, "And I think it's very noble." Draco scowled but she ignored him, "But the fact is that the two things together created a perfect basis for a…"

"Crash!" he did not let her finish. "A simple crash that we could both enjoy and then forget. Not the bloody bonding of souls." He seared both girls with an angry glare, "We are sixteen f years old. We are not ready to be bonded for life."

Fleur lost her patience, "Why are you complaining?" she rose to her feet, "You are not the one bonded. You know perfectly well that you can just abolish the process and be no worse off."

Her words dissipated his anger and he sighed tiredly, rubbing his face with his hands, "I know," he said finally, "But…"

"But what if she is the one?" Gabriele voiced his thought.

"If she is the one," Fleur replied, "then you should be happy that you found her. To have a true soul mate is a gift."

"A gift?" the Slytherin shot, his anger rising again. "You calling this mess a gift?! My parents will never approve of us! Hell, no one would approve: friends, teachers; the press would have a field day." He seared her with a glare which did nothing to change her calm demeanour. His hands bowled into the fists as he continued almost spitting the words. "My father would probably disown me. But to hell with him! If somebody finds out about this bonding, both of us will become prime targets. The light side would try to manipulate us to their advantage and the dark would simply try to kill both of us off. And the last time I checked I was not suicidal and neither was Granger. So forgive me, if I don't see this as a gift."

Fleur shrugged, "Then break it. Reverse the bonding now, but know this. You will break her heart."

Draco shook his head exasperatedly, "How can I break her heart when she does not even know that she has feelings for me."

Fleur smiled at him sadly, "Who says she does not know? Girls like Hermione Granger are good in hiding their feelings. She probably never openly admitted it to herself but deep down she know she loves you. And it's all about feelings after all. Our souls are not controlled by our minds, I would say, it mostly the opposite. And it makes our lives that much more unpredictable, sometimes painful and sometimes beautiful."

Seeing her sad face cooled down his anger, realisation hitting him, "Has it happened to you?" he asked quietly, and when she looked up at him, explained, "I mean the bonding?"

She nodded her face turning sad, "Yes, earlier this year."

"What happened?" he asked not sure if she was going to reply.

But she did, "I broke it," she said curtly and then explained, "Bill Weasley, I was not as surprised as you, it was kind of obvious, though I still hoped it would not happen. But it did. But he was not the one… So I broke it as quickly as I could and moved away. That's why I left Gringotts. It would be easier for him to heal if I am not around."

Draco stood silent pondering her words, "How did you know he was not the one?" he asked finally.

Fleur's sad smile turned into a glowing one, "Because I've met the one who is right for me."

Draco's eyes widened, "The guy you mentioned in your letters?"

She nodded, "That's why I came to Hogwarts and decided to become a Mediwitch. I can be close to him and help him if he ever needs it."

Ron who was now hanging on her every word could not believe his ears. She had dumped Bill… Bill had bonded to her, whatever this bonding is…And she had dumped him, left him heartbroken. And all of it for some students from Hogwarts!! Oh, she was gonna pay for it…

He was so mad, he was ready to jump out of the wardrobe when another boy stormed into the room.

"Fleur!" Harry Potter cried out and then froze seeing the blond Slytherin standing so close to the blond girl.

In a flash the Veela was between the two boys, her arms wrapped around the Gryffindor, preventing him from moving a muscle.

"Harry, meet my cousin, Draco Malfoy." She said calmly and then turned to the Slytherin, "Draco, meet my soul mate, Harry Potter."

**Reviews are very welcome!!**


	17. Chapter 17

"_Harry, meet my cousin, Draco Malfoy." She said calmly and then turned to the Slytherin, "Draco, meet my soul mate, Harry Potter."_

Chapter 17

In his wardrobe Ron had to clasp a hand over his mouth in a very unmanly gesture to stop himself from gasping out loud. His brain refused to comprehend the information. Draco Malfoy - a cousin of the Delacours?! And Harry that miserable git - shagging the beautiful veela?!

The voice of the said veela brought Ron out of his stupor. "Please," Fleur's eyes were pleading the two men in the room, "I understand you don't trust efach other and have a bad history between you but I know you both: you two have more in common than you think. Could you just trust me on this one and give each other a chance? For me!"

What happened next surprised Ron even more though he did not thing it was possible. For a moment both Slytherin and Gryffindor appeared frozen on the spot, then Malfoy gave Fleur a strange look and shook his head.

"You gotta be kidding me," he muttered under his breath and then turned to the Gryffindor. "Potter, is it just me or do we have a definite déjà vu moment here?"

The Boy-Who-Lived muffled his already messed up hair and then his expression changed as he chuckled. "The world is a funny place, Malfoy."

The Slytherin laughed, "It is indeed. I could possibly consider going against one woman, but two? I don't have a death wish."

Fleur and Gabriele looked at them in confusion, their facial expressions a replica of Ron's. The red head would not have been surprised if Harry and Malfoy had started throwing hexes at each other but this almost friendly exchange was bizarre. And what on earth were they talking about. What déjà vu? Which two women? It looked like Fleur was about to ask these questions when Malfoy hissed and grabbed his right arm.

Harry's face clouded as he registered the Slytherin's move. He opened his mouth but Malfoy shook his head.

"Not here and not now, Potter," Malfoy's voice was strained but his eyes were silently warning Harry. "I've got to go," Draco headed to the door.

"Draco, wait?" Gabriele rushed after him. "Where are you going?"

He looked at her strangely and she paled, "Oh, no, you've been…"

"I'll be fine, Gabi," he cut her in a tensed voice and shot a quick look at the Gryffindor. "Potter, I trust that you'll take them both to the Castle?" He motioned to the two sisters. After receiving an affirmative nod, the Slytherin disappeared out of sight.

XXXXXX

Ron's mind was going at a speed of a hundred miles an hour trying to process all the information he gained in the last hour. Draco Malfoy had been summoned by You-Know-Who. Which meant that he was a Death Eater. Harry and the Delacours knew that and did nothing. Ron suspected that Hermione knew it as well considering that the stupid witch bonded to Malfoy, which on its own was a very interesting fact.

The red head had a distinct feeling that there was another piece of the puzzle that he did not know but even now he possessed enough information to get a revenge on both his former friends and his enemies. He would have to be careful and play his cards right but he was sure that he could get an ally in his sister especially in the part concerning Harry and Fleur. There was nothing worse than the fury of the woman scorned and Ginny would be happy to pay Harry back for slighting her.

But this could wait, for now he had a much more pressing task to take care of - putting Draco Malfoy into the same cell in Azkaban that his father had recently escaped from. And to do that Ron needed to get to the owlery as quickly as possible to send the message to Scrimgeour. He would not leave it to Dumbledore. Who knew what games the old coot would want to play?! And Ron wanted Malfoy caught.

XXXXXXXX

Hermione did not know what was wrong with her. For some reason she could not enjoy her trip to Hogsmead with Luna and Neville. In the morning when they first went to the Weasley's joke shop she felt mildly restless, a strange tightening feeling in her heart. Afterwards they went to the book store and for the first time ever she left it without making a single purchase. Now that they finally arrived to Three Broomsticks, all she could think about was that something was terribly wrong.

Her heart had sunk to the pit of her stomach and she felt anxiety rising in her as a tidal wave. Finally she decided that she had to get out of the pub and get back to Hogwarts. She made feeble excuse of forgetting about some important homework and headed off. Hogsmead was swarming with Hogwarts students and Hermione caught herself that she was constantly searching the crowd for the bleach blond hair of Draco Malfoy. Just then the realisation hit her, all this anxiety that she felt was about him, he was in danger, she was sure of it. Without thinking she broke into a run.

When she neared Hogwarts she came face to face with a group of people that were also heading towards the Castle. She recognised Rufus Scrimgeour immediately and silent men around him looked very much like Aurors. Her heart sank, why were they here? She watched them silently trying to figure out a way to find out the reason behind their arrival. Perhaps she could follow them to Dumbledore office?! However, when she got to the Gargoyle it was already back in its place and she had no idea what the password was.

Hermione turned and ran to the Gryffindor common room where she went straight to the boy's dormitory. As she expected it was empty and without hesitation she headed towards Harry's trunk and started rummaging through it. Soon enough she found what she was looking for, she covered herself with the invisibility clock and ran back to the Gargoyle. She was just in time to see a dark figure of Severus Snape disappear up the stairs. Hermione's heart sank even lower. She was trying to tell herself that there were plenty of reasons why Dumbledore would summon his potion master. But deep in her heart she knew that it was because Snape was Slytherin's Head of House.

She remained in her observation spot, trying to control fear gripping her. She probably waited for about ten minutes when Snape stormed out of the Headmasters office. The expression on his face was murderous as he swept past her. For a second Hermione hesitated whether to follow him or wait longer and then decided to go after the Professor. Snape was a member of the Order but he also was a Slytherin and as far as she knew Draco was one of his favourites. If Scrimgeour came for the young Malfoy, she seriously suspected that Snape would try and protect his student.

Hermione expected Snape to head to the dungeons but instead he went to the other wing and soon she found him in front of the closed door. Snape knocked impatiently but nobody answered. She heard professor curse under his breathe and he knocked again, this time louder. This time the door opened to reveal Fleur Delacour standing in the doorway.

"Severus?" her perfect eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What…"

But he did not let her finish, "Is Draco here?" Snape's voice was full of urgency.

"No," her surprised expression turned into worried, "Why?"

Snape shook his head, "Can I come in?" The blond veela hesitated for a moment and Snape heaved a frustrated sigh, "It's important, Fleur, he's in danger."

The French girl paled and immediately stepped aside allowing Snape entrance. Hermione rushed forward. There was no way she was missing that conversation. Her whole being was torn apart. She was right. Draco was in danger. And Snape was looking for him in Fleur Delacours quarters!! For the first time in her life Hermione felt jealousy stub her in the gut. The images of Draco and Fleur together rushed through her mind. They would be the most beautiful couple!

Fleur's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Severus, what's wrong? Why are you looking for Draco?"

Snape face turned sour, "Scrimgeour is here with Aurors," his voice was clipped, "He says that Draco is a Death Eater and that he has been summoned to You Know Who right now. Scrimgeour has a warrant for arresting Draco. They already have searched Hogsmead and he is not there, so they are going to search the castle and if they don't find him, they are going to wait for him to come back and get him then. I was hoping that he would be here…"

"Well, he's not," Gabriele Delacour whom Hermione did not notice initially stepped into the conversation, "He has been summoned."

Snape cursed. "I have to go and find him," he turned to leave but Fleur stopped him.

"We need to find Hermione Granger," she said quickly and seeing Snape's shocked expression, explained "Draco gave her a Link Pendant, she'll be able to summon him here."

Hermione could not remain under the invisibility clock any longer. "How the hell do you know?" she cried out pulling the clock off.

The scene that followed was worthy of Shakespeare with all three staring at the girl appearing as if out of thin air. Fleur's and Snape's voices were in unison when both yelled.

"What are you doing here?"

"Miss Granger, did you follow me?"

And the next moment another voice joined them as Harry Potter stormed in from the adjoined bathroom. "He gave you what?" he glared at Hermione.

All over sudden everybody was silent. Gabriele Delacour lowered her wand. "We don't have time for this," her voice sounded authoritative. "We need to get Draco back. Hermione, can you do this?"

The Gryffindor girl nodded. She took a pendant in her hand and tried to concentrate. A few very long seconds had gone by and then two figures appeared from the thin air. Blaise Zabini looked shocked as he surveyed his surroundings but all eyes were fixed on a deathly pale Draco Malfoy who was leaning against his friend. Draco's eyes found Hermione and he attempted a weak smile.

"Granger, you've picked an awfully bad time to ask me for help." Before she could response his grey eyes closed and he lost consciousness, his body falling against his Italian friend.

"Draco!!"

**Sorry for the long wait. A lot was happening and I could not concentrate. I admit that I am struggling with the story and not sure where to go next. I don't think this chapter is the best but at least it's something. Reviews are very welcome, maybe they will give me inspiration. Thanks.**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

They all rushed to him at once. Harry helped Blaise to gently lower the blond Slytherin on the floor where Fleur and Gabriele had quickly thrown some blankets. Snape was already leaning over his student, Professor's wand hovering over Draco.

Hermione pushed past the rest, not caring for anything else other than to get closer to Draco and dropped to her knees. "What's wrong with him?" she glared at Blaise.

The Italian's face hardened, "Cruciatus," he replied curtly.

"How many?" Snape's clipped voice prevented Hermione from asking the same questions.f

Blaise took a rugged breath, "Ten… And a dose of the Enhancement Potion."

Hermione's gasped and Snape cursed. The next moment he was up levitation Draco's body with his wand. "Prepare a bath," he ordered his lips pursed tight.

Fleur and Gabriele both rushed to the bathroom. But Hermione stopped in her trucks. "Why are you not giving him a potion?" she glared at the Potions Professor. "I know you have one, you gave it to Parkinson in the Prefect's bathroom."

If Snape was surprised by her comment he did not show it. Instead a usual scowl married his face. "I am not giving him a potion, Miss Granger, because I don't have it on me. Believe it or not but I am not carrying a chest full of potions in my pocket. And since the Castle has been sealed to allow Aurors t0 search for Mr Malfoy, I can't use the floo or even simply leave this room until they are finished." He gave her a look a total disdain and then turned to Harry, "Potter, don't stand there like an idiot, get your damn map out and check where the Aurors are, alert me if they are getting anywhere near this room."

Without another word he swept passed both Gryffindors towards the bathroom continuing to levitate the Slytherin's body in front of him. Harry glared after Snape but Hermione could not master even a slightest anger against the Potion Master. For the first time in her life she felt totally at a loss of what to do. Her heart shuddered thinking about what Draco had gone through, it bled when she imagined the pain he was in, and it sank to the pit of her stomach from knowing that he was in very real danger to be taken to Azkaban. Through the open door she watched helplessly as Snape manoeuvred Draco's body over the now full bath, then with a flick of his wand the Slytherin's clothes fell to the floor and he gently lowered his student into the water.

"What on earth is he doing?" Harry's voice interrupted her thoughts.

She answered him automatically resorting to her usual lecturing mode. "Enhancement Potion strips a person from any natural defences against curses making the after-effects ten, hundred times worse than normal. In combination with repeated Cruciatus it will mean an extreme sensitivity of nerve endings and muscles spasms making the victim experience searing pain especially when their skin comes in contact with anything. If there is no potion at hand, warm water is the best though very much partial remedy."

She was saying all these words but her eyes were glued to the bathroom where Snape was still waiving his wand over Draco mattering some spells and then finally she heard him say, "Innervate." She rushed forward.

Draco's eye opened and he stared at the five people huddled around the bath. "What the hell is going on?" he rasped wincing.

"Aurors are looking for you." Hermione decided it was her right to reply since she was the one who summoned him, "They have a warrant for your arrest and have sealed off Hogwarts. We had to get you back."

He nodded and his lips tightened. He wanted to ask something else but Harry's voice interrupted him, "The Aurors are getting closer."

All three Slytherins cursed in unison. "What are we going to do?" Blaise's eyes searched the room frantically.

It was Fleur that answered him, "We are going to put up a show." She turned to Gabriele and they exchanged quick looks and the younger girl nodded and started unbuttoning her shirt.

"What the hell are you doing?" Harry glared at two sisters suspiciously. Gabriele gave him a wicked smile.

"Giving the Aurors something to remember." Seeing his confused face, she laughed lightly, "Nothing shocks you, Brits, more than sex. _Menage a trios_," her laughter turned bitter, "They won't know what hit them. And Draco would have two witnesses saying that he had been nowhere near You-Know-Who today."

Realisation hit Hermione and her face turned scarlet matching the colour of Harry's to perfection.

"Fleur," Draco chipped in quietly, "I don't think it's a great idea."

The Veela pressed a finger to his lips. "Shh, Draco. You should preserve your strength. Gabi and I will draw most of the attention to ourselves. And Severus' cushioning charms should help. But there is no way we could avoid touching you completely and you will have to participate in the show as well. It's not going to be pleasant for you." She was about to add something else but was interrupted by the furious Boy-Who-Lived.

"Are you mad?" Harry sundered. "Are you going to pretend having a..." the words failed him and he just pointed a shaky finger at Draco, "with him and your sister! In front of the whole bunch of Aurors?!"

Fleur touched his cheek with her hand, a soft and at the same time sad smile playing on her face, "I am sorry Harry, this is not going to be nice for you to see, but you know it does not mean anything."

The Gryffindor shook his head angrily, "It's ridiculous," he snapped and looked at Snape. "Professor, you cannot possible allow this?"

The Potion Master shrugged nonchalantly, "I see no reason to interfere, Mr Potter. If Miss Delacours are willing, I am not about to stop them."

Harry gave him a filthy look and then turned to Hermione, "There must be another way!"

She did not know what to say. Fleur's suggestion was something that would never have even entered Hermione's mind. And the idea of seeing Draco with two gorgeous Veelas would be her worst nightmare coming true even if Fleur claimed it did not mean anything.

But the Gryffindor could not come up with anything better. Aurors were coming and Draco was in no state to bare their scrutiny on his own. Anything that could give him a chance had gotta be a good thing. For the first time Hermione realised what it truly meant - to be prepared to do everything and anything for someone. So in response to Harry's question and pleading look, she just shrugged her shoulders. Professor Snape agreed with two Veelas, Blaise and Draco did not object. For once Hermione felt she should trust the French and the Slytherins.

"I can't think of one, Harry," she said quietly not meeting his eyes.

Her answer was not what Harry wanted to hear, he looked back at Fleur, his face hardening. "I won't let you."

The older Veela lifted her chin defiantly, "Yes, you will. We don't have time for something else. Draco is in too much pain to do anything else than lie in this bath. And if they even suspect that he was on a receiving end of an Unforgivable, he'll be in Azkaban before the end of the day. This is the only way to distract them enough to have a chance. And there is no one here except me and Gabriele that can do something like that and not make the situation worse. If he is found with Slytherins, it won't alleviate suspicion, Gryffindors - would be simply unbelievable and very dangerous if it ever became known outside Hogwarts. But a Slytherin and two Veelas?!" her lips curled into a bitter smile, "who would doubt that?"

Harry was about to protest again, when a loud knock on the door interrupted them. They all froze. The next moment Blaise pulled Harry into a large closet just outside the bathroom. Hermione looked around wildly and before she could do anything, Snape grabbed something from the floor, which turned out to be Harry's invisibility clock. The Potion's Master pulled her flesh against his body covering them both with the clock. Hermione froze feeling surprisingly hard body of her Professor pressed so firmly against her back. But she did not have a chance to dwell on Snape's physique as the next moment the door burst open and a group of man stormed into the room.

They rushed towards the light in the bathroom and froze. And Hermione could see why. In front of them was the most beautiful and erotic scene she could have ever imagine: alabaster skin slick from water and soap, blond hair tussled around aristocratic features and intertwined exquisite bodies that moved with elegant harmony. The trio seemed to be so engrossed in their activities that they did not notice newcomers until a shocked voice of Albus Dumbledore interrupted them.

"Miss Delacours! Mr Malfoy! What on Earth is going on?"

Fleur and Draco pulled apart and Gabriele froze, "Headmaster!" Draco's voice was hoarse from pain but to the observers it seemed to be caused by a different type of exertion.

"Indeed," Dumbledore looked at the three with shocked eyes. "Do you know that such behaviour is strictly against the rules of this school?"

Fleur's voice was completely unphased when she enquired her French accent more obvious than ever before, "How so?" and before the Headmaster could reply continued, "I am an adult, Draco here is an adult as he turned seventeen a few days ago and Gabriele is sixteen which, as you well know, is considered adult for Veelas. So I don't see a problem here, we are three consenting adults spending some quality time together in a privacy of my own room, which I might add, you've rudely disturbed."

"We have a warrant…" one of the Aurors started but was interrupted by Dumbledore.

"Miss Delacours, Mr Malfoy. I am not having this discussion here. Please get dressed this instant," the Headmasters voice was as hard as rock, "we will continue this conversation later.

Hermione's heart sank. If Draco got out of the bath there would be no way he could conceal his condition and… She jerked but Snape's arm tightened around her keeping her firmly in place.

"As you wish," Gabriele made a move to get up but was stopped by the Headmaster.

"Miss Delacour," Dumbledore gashed, "what are you doing?"

The French girl looked at him innocently, "I am getting up."

The Headmaster gave her a scandalized look, "Why don't you just wait till we leave and I'll see you in my office." He turned to Scrimgeour. But the Minister shook his head.

"No, Dumbledore, I am not leaving Mr Malfoy alone with these two…" he paused obviously trying to find a word to describe the two Veelas. Fleur's lips turned into a sardonic smile that looked all too familiar to Hermione. "…ahm …French nationals." Scrimgeour finally finished. "I have waited long enough and want the answer to my questions now."

"But Rufus," Dumbledore interrupted frowning. "This is not a setting for questioning. The scene is a disgrace to Hogwarts…"

"I don't care about Hogwarts rules of proprietary," Scrimgeour almost yelled, "your students can shag like rabbits and I would not give a damn. It's your problem. My concern is catching Death Eaters. And I am not living this room without finding out if Mr Malfoy is one of them."

His eyes were trained on Draco and he added in silky tone, "Mr Malfoy would you kindly show me your right forearm?"

Hermione caught her breathe. Was the charm going to hold, she thought to herself, had Scrimgeour a way to see through it? Her eyes shifted to Draco as he gently lifted his arm out of the water. His features were schooled into an unreadable mask but Hermione was close enough to see the strain in his shoulders.

"Is that enough, Minister," Draco's voice was clipped but otherwise sounded normal, "or do you want to inspect every part of my body in a hope to see a Dark Mark somewhere?"

Scrimgeour's face flashed. "I would warn you, Mr Malfoy not to push your luck. I have enough evidence to haul you out of your pleasant company and into Azkaban cell right now."

"On what grounds?" Draco shot.

"On the grounds that I have a report stating that you are a Death Eater and just this morning you were summoned by You-Know-Who to report on your activities."

Hermione listened to Scrimgeour and her heart sank again. A report? Scrimgeour had a report? Had somebody seen Draco leaving? Or had the Ministry finally got a mole in the ranks of Death Eaters? She turned her head trying to see Snape's face to understand what he thought of it. Their eyes met for a second, her questioning and his unreadable. He shook his head slightly and both their eyes returned to the scene in front of them.

"I am sorry to disappoint you, Minister," Fleur said calmly, "but I am afraid your report is wrong. This morning we met Draco at Hogsmead. Gabi and I wanted to see the Shrieking Shack. That building is so mysterious. But," her perfect nose wrinkled in disgust, "it was filthy and we did not want to spend any time there and it was too cold outside. So I suggested that we return to Hogwarts and do something fun." A sensual smile touched her lips, "And Draco being the gentleman he is, obliged." Her fingers ruffled Draco's hair in affection as she smiled at him.

The Slytherin smiled back thought that smile never reached his eyes that Hermione could see were getting duller by the minute. She knew that he would not last much longer.

"So you see," Gabriele pouted, "Draco could not possible be with your You-Know-Who, because he was with us."

Scrimgeour's face turned purple. He took a couple of deep breathes obviously trying to keep his temper in check. "Mr Malfoy, is that true?"

"Of course it's true." Draco's voice sounded weary and Hermione could only hope that it would be attributed to him trying to annoy Scrimgeour, "It's Saturday. I wanted to have a fun day, and I was having it before you lot showed up."

The Minister did not pay attention to the comment. "Miss Delacour, I would like you to testify under the Veritaserum," he grumbled.

"Rufus, you can't do this!" Dumbledore stepped in. "They are students!"

"I am well aware of that, Dumbledore," Scrimgeour barked, "that's why I am not asking Mr Malfoy and Miss Gabriele Delacour to testify. But Miss Fleur Delacour is an apprentice and therefore, she is an adult and we have the right to question her under the Veritaserum."

"I am a foreign visitor," Fleur huffed but then shook her head resignedly, "but I am willing to submit to your request."

The shock of her words almost made Hermione gasped out loud but Snape's hand clasped over her mouth just in time to stop her.

"On one condition," Fleur continued, "you immediately get out of my room." Her voice became icy. "I had enough of your men ogling me and my sister, who I might remind you is young enough to be their daughter. So unless you want me to file a formal complaint I suggest you get out of here right now and I will meet you in half an hour in Headmaster's office."

Her words seemed to have the desired effect. Scrimgeour gave the Aurors a shocked look to which they responded with flushed faces and then he jerked his head towards the exit and they all scurried towards the door. Before Scrimgeour left he grumbled, "Mr Malfoy, I suggest that you do not leave this room. I will have my men stationed outside." With these words he swept out closely followed by Dumbledore who was shaking his head.

The moment they left Snape released Hermione and with a wave of his hand warded and silenced the room. In a flash Harry and Blaise were out of the closet helping two sisters out of the bath and covering them with clocks and towels. However, Hermione did not care about them as she dropped to her knees near the bath where Draco had collapsed hissing in pain, his body twisting in agony. Snape was again waiving his wand around his student. Without stopping he ordered, "Don't just sit here, Granger, be useful, water cushioning charm and warming charms. Now."

Hermione did not have to be asked twice. She concentrated on performing the consecutive charms one after another. Snape was muttering some incantations which she could not understand. But judging by the perspiration on his face he was pouring a lot of magic into his spells. A few minutes later they were rewarded when Draco stopped thrashing and opened his eyes. Hermione was ready to cry. Cry from seeing him like that - deathly pale in spite of the warmth of the room, the beautiful grey orbs bloodshot. But also cry with relief that at least their combined efforts with Snape had some effect.

"Severus," Draco's voice was hoarse, "can't you… just knock me… out… for a while? Promise, I won't complain…"

For the first time Hermione saw Snape smiling, with a soft and sad smile that lit up his face, the black eyes no longer lifeless but full of warmth. "I am sorry, Draco," he said quietly his voice for once devoid of the hard intonations, "but it's not safe. If you are unconscious for too long in a state like this, you can slip into a coma and I can't allow that. Your mother would kill me…"

The blond Slytherin attempted to huff but with no success. His face twisted again and Snape immediately resumed his ministrations and Hermione picked up her wand. Almost unconsciously she lifted her hand and touched Draco's hair. She just needed to make sure that he was indeed here. He jerked his head and she quickly pulled her hand back afraid that she hurt him more.

"No," he rasped, "please don't… don't stop. It's nice."

She immediately returned her hand to his hair and felt him lean against her palm. She did not notice surprised look that Snape gave them. And for once the Potion Master had refrained from commenting.

Harry who also noticed the interaction between his friend and the blond Slytherin, frowned but he had more important things on his mind.

"This is all nice," he muttered, "but I feel you all underestimate the danger we are still in. Fleur will be questioned under the Veritaserum and we all know what she'll reveal."

"She will relieve nothing," Snape's face and voice had returned to their usual state of hauteur and silk edginess. "Here," he pulled out something from his pocket and handed it to Fleur. "This is Veritaserum antidote, it would give you about an hour of protection. So take it just before you leave."

Harry frowned, "You said you don't carry potions with you. And there is no antidote to Veritaserum that you can take beforehand, only afterwards to stop the effects." Snape glared at him but Fleur wrapped her arm around Harry effectively shutting up both men. The potion master beat back a retort and just sneered. Harry's body visibly relaxed at the feel of his girlfriend next to him.

"Don't worry, Severus," the older Veela replied. "I will use this wisely. And thank you."

Snape nodded, "Just go, Fleur, the sooner they let us out, the sooner we can get the potions for Draco."

The Veela was gone in ten minutes. And thirty minutes later Aurors had left the Castle.

Severus Snape was able to retrieve his potions and it made him breathe that much easier. His godson was in for a rough night but the worst was definitely behind. And for the moment it was all that mattered. Tomorrow, however, would be another day and he'd be damned if he did not question Draco on what the hell he was thinking giving Hermione Granger a Link Pendant. Interestingly, the Gryffindor Princess had blatantly refused to leave the young Malfoy's side and spent the whole night next to his bed. And what was even more surprising, Potter had allowed it without a fight.

Even the idiot could see that there was something going on between the three and Severus Snape was not an idiot. He was a spy who served two masters for over fifteen year. With time he came to hate both of them in different ways. They manipulated and used him and neither cared about their servant. Which meant he had to care for himself. His Slytherin instinct of self preservation had overcome his self depreciation and guilt and he painfully learnt to forgive himself for mistakes of his youth. Now all he wanted was to live, free from his masters, surrounded by those who truly loved him: his friends, family and Her… The image of a raven haired beauty floated in his mind's eye but he pushed it away. He could not yet relax that much. He had to recap the events of the day. Check and double check that he had not said or done anything wrong because a price of a mistake would be his life.

He had informed Albus about the young Malfoy's close call with both Voldemort and Aurors and the Delacour sisters' extravagant but nonetheless effective attempt to help him. This convinced the Headmaster to keep the whole story under wraps and he advised the same to Scrimgeour who was more than happy to oblige. Nobody wanted to see the report of the day's events on the front page of the Daily Prophet. That meant that Draco kept his Prefect's badge and Fleur her apprenticeship.

As honest as Snape had been with Dumbledore, he had concealed more than he said. He did not mention a word about the Gryffindors. He was convinced that these prats were up to something. Both Potter and Granger were sporting very decent Occlumency shields which meant that Draco had something to with it. And if his godson was involved, Blaise Zabini was also part of the whole thing. These two never did anything without each other.

Severus also noticed that recently both Granger and Potter had been spending a lot less time with the Weasleys and a lot more time with the Ravenclaw Unspeakable girl and some Hufflepuff boy. Altogether the facts pointed to one thing – some serious plotting was going on in the student body of Hogwarts.

Knowing Draco and Granger, his sneakiness and her ambitions, Snape could have bet that if successful their plan could become just that swing force that was needed to ensure Voldemort's demise. And for him personally, it could mean difference between life and death.

That led him thinking to another card he played that night. Lucius Malfoy. He relayed to him the same story he told Albus. And got another feather in his personal cap: Lucius now owed Snape the safety of his precious son. And in conjunction with father's anger to the one that hurt his child so badly, it was more likely than not that when the decisive moment came, Lucius' loyalties would swing from the Dark Lord to Severus. And so would Narcissa's, who despite her cold demeanour was a very passionate and devoted mother, wife and friend. He would love to be a fly on the wall when her and Lucius learnt that their precious son had fallen in love with Harry Potter's best friend. From his observations Severus was now pretty sure that the bond between Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger had not yet been completed but it was definitely there otherwise Draco would not have been able to tolerate Granger's caresses.

Suddenly it hit him: Malfoy, Granger, Potter, Zabini, Lovegood and McMillan. Rich pure blood, muggle brains, half-blood fame, decadent wizardian aristocracy, unspeakable secrets and muggle politics. They represented the most influential families in Hogwarts and in Britain. Plus Delacours with their diplomatic connections. Was this exactly what his godson and Granger were banking on?! To bring together the children in order to influence the families?! The children who were on the verge of becoming adults and the future of the wizardian world?! With the group like that they were in the position to make a lot of people a very attractive offer - a choice between Voldemort and Dumbledore, a middle ground, something that a lot of wizards would be much more comfortable with, than with either one of the great wizards.

Or that was good!! It had to be Granger's idea. Potter and Draco were two much of an alpha males to think up a plan like that. If his guess was right, he would admit whole heartedly that Hermione Granger was a brightest witch of her age!!

Severus' lips stretched into a smug smile. If his analysis of the situation was correct, then he had a very good day. It gave him information and in his line of work information meant power. And he would enjoy leveraging every ounce of it.

But now the day was over, there was nothing else he could do. And Merlin knew he needed his rest. Even with his levels of power, he poured so much magic into helping Draco that his hands were shaking at the end. And he was not the only one left exhausted if tensed shoulders and drawn eyes was anything to judge by. His students also deserved some peace and quiet and some happiness even if it meant that Fleur and this brat Potter spent the whole night in the Room of Requirement. And Gabriele ended up with Blaise Zabini in the Slytherin's dungeons instead of the Ravenclaw dorms.

Severus Snape was a Slytherin himself and rules of proprietary in general, and Hogwarts rules in particular meant very little to him. He fully intended to be properly entertained by messing around with teenage hormones. It would be fun to watch, and provide a necessary distraction to his other, darker activities, which in the immediate future included finding out and tearing limb by limb the one who had betrayed Draco to the Ministry.

**Sorry for the long wait. Here is the new chapter. Reviews are very welcome. **


	19. Chapter 19 Part 1

Chapter 19 Part 1

He woke up from a feeling of something tickling his hand. This something turned out to be a few stray hairs from a mane of brown curls that was currently sprawled all over his midriff. The face of the girl was turned away but he did not need to see it to know her identity. There was only one human being that possessed such tresses and that person was Hermione Granger who was now sound asleep by the side of his bed.

It was really an endearing sight but Draco did not have a chance to admire it since next to Granger stood a formidable figure in black. Severus Snape's expression was its usual blank self, however a slight tingle in his eyes made Draco inwardly groan. After yesterday's events and now this scene, his godfather had a full set of aces on his hands to ensure his own entertainment on Draco's behalf for the rest of his life.

The young Slytherin attempted a warning glare towards his Head of House, but the Potion Master just raised onfe of his dark eyebrows and Draco gave up. Though he could stare down most people, he could not compete with the dark haired wizard who had polished the skill to perfection. So Draco resigned to deal with his godfather's sense of humour, until he could get his hands on some blackmailing material of his own.

Not paying much attention to his godson's thought process, Snape proceeded to wave his wand over Draco, performing the usual medical checks. His question returned Draco to reality, "How are you feeling?" Snape had cast a Mufallo around them not to wake up the Gryffindor girl.

For a second Draco took account of his body. All his muscles were sore as if he was buttered by all three bludgers at the same time but it was a pure bliss comparatively to the last time he was awake when every cell in his body was screaming in agony.

"Not too bad," he replied clearing his throat, "thanks to you and Granger." Though his memories of the previous day were fragmented, he remembered the two of them casting spell after spell on him and could still feel the flow of foreign magic in his veins, which undoubtedly belonged to his Head of House.

Snape shook his head stopping any further expressions of gratitude, "What happened with the Dark Lord?" he asked instead.

Draco almost winced from the memories, he did not fancy reliving the whole story but Severus needed to know the truth. So he told his godfather everything, how initially he had not thought much about being summoned, and the first alert that had rung in his head was when instead of appearing at the Malfoy Manor where most of his meetings with the Dark Lord had taken place, he had arrived to the Riddle's House.

His parents were not there, and neither were other Death Eaters except for Wormtail. Draco immediately noticed that Voldemort was in a foul mood and it meant that he, for sure, would be on a receiving end of a curse before he returned to Hogwarts. The only questions remained how many he would get and how serious? Then Blaise appeared in the room and the Dark Lord ordered Wormtail to offer Malfoy heir a drink. Draco could not refuse it no matter how much he was convinced that drinking it was a bad idea.

And indeed it was. Voldemort started barraging him with questions on the progress of his mission and Draco used every singly bit of his Slytherin sneakiness to mollify his Master. He was probably successful to a point considering that Voldemort did not deliver Cruciatus himself but ordered Wormtail to do so.

If not for the effects of the Enhancement Potion the Slytherin would have escaped in not too bad shape. At first Draco could not understand how a weak curse of Wormtail could have such an affect on him. But then he was in too much pain to think about anything. He did not even notice the Dark Lord leaving. And it was only later, in a brief period of lucidness, as he heard Blaise's explanation about the potion, which the Italian Slytherin gathered by using Legilimency on Wormtail.

Draco tried to relate his story to Snape as factually complete and emotionless as possible. Though he had his suspicions, he still was not sure where Snape's loyalties truly lied. The Potion Master's face remained expressionless. And Draco decided to put out his first filler.

"Do you think that the Dark Lord was angry with the Malfoys or was I just in a wrong place at a wrong time?"

For a second Snape surveyed his godson. Draco tried to keep his expression neutral at the same time watching out for any flick of emotion on his godfathers' face. He was disappointed though not surprised that he did not see any so he resigned to just wait for a reply. "I am not privy to the Dark Lord's motivations, Draco," Snape said after a long silence. "But I would suggest that you give some serious thoughts to what had happened to you and consider the options that are available to you in the Dark Lord's service."

The black eyes met grey and Draco could feel his heart leaping in triumph. This answer, though ambiguous to anybody else, was enough of a proof to him that Snape was not serving Voldemort as faithfully as everyone thought and was now suggesting that his godson should also rethink his alliance to the Dark Lord. If Snape was working for the Order, he could become an incredibly valuable ally to UAW (United Association of Wizards).

Snape's voice interrupted his thoughts once more. "Do you have any ideas how had the Aurors found out about you being summoned?"

Draco frowned. So far he had not given it a second thought, his mind focused on his body's discomfort. But now it did occur to him that it was surprising that Scrimgeour had shown up at Hogwarts looking for him just when he had been called out to Voldemort. "I have no idea," the Slytherin frowned. "I was…" He paused not sure if he could tell his Godfather about Fleur's choice of a life mate.

"…In the Shrieking Shack with Fleur, Gabriele and Potter," Snape finished the sentence for him, his thin lips stretching into a smirk. "Come on Draco, you think that I have not already been through the whole thing with all three of them? Plus nowadays that we are all one happy family, she is unlikely to keep such secret from me."

The young Slytherin ignored the snide remark. "Well, if you know everything why ask me?" he shot back.

"Because I want to know what happened when you left the Shack. We need to figure out who had betrayed you to the Ministry. Could somebody see you apparate?"

Draco shook his head, "I doubt it though it's always a possibility. But I was careful as usually, and plus this way they would have had no way of knowing where I was going. I had my robe and mask shrank in my pocket."

Snape's face darkened, "Then it would mean that somebody overheard your conversation in the Shrieking Shack."

It was Draco's turn to frown, his face assuming a grave expression. If somebody had been spying on them, this person would have had an interesting day indeed and now was privy to a lot of very personal information that made all involved vulnerable, including Hermione, who was not even in the room.

"Could it be that Ministry finally got a spy among Death Eaters?" Draco asked not being too hopeful.

"I doubt that," Snape replied, "They are not that good," he gave a self depreciating shrug, "plus it looks like only the Dark Lord and Wormtail knew about the meeting with you and I highly doubt that either of them would sign up as an informers to Scrimgeour."

Draco nodded in agreement. UAW would need to rethink their strategy. If their personal relationships were now known, it meant that they would have to be even more careful in hiding their activities in UAW, which thank Merlin, none of them mentioned in the Shack. And it would mean that he had to talk to Hermione and complete the bond as soon as possible. He could not risk anybody else telling her the truth first.

"I am going to go, Draco," his godfather announced snapping the blond boy from his thoughts. "Isabel is waiting for me. If you need me, you know how to contact me, though," a truly Slytherin smirk appeared on the dark wizards' face, "I am pretty sure, Miss Granger here would take good care of you."

Draco rolled his eyes but decided not to bite, "Tell Isabel, I said "hi," he asked instead.

"Will do." Snape was about to turn around but stopped at the last minute, one of his dark eyebrows rising ever so slightly. "I have informed your father last night of your adventures and then flooed him with the news that you were out of danger. Though I don't think your parents are going to burst into Hogwarts, I would advise you to contact them at the earliest opportunity," his dark eyes shifted to a sleep figure of the Gryffindor girl, "to avoid unnecessary aggravations."

With these words he disappeared in a swirl of his robes and Draco was left to contemplate his words. He would owl his mother as soon as he could. But his first priority would be to speak to Hermione. She needed to know the truth about the bonding and his decision to complete it.

The events of the last twenty four hours had put a lot of things in his life into perspective. Never in his life had he experienced such pain. Surely he'd been cursed before and in the past year he had been on a receiving end of more than a couple of Cruciatuses. However, the pain he felt yesterday was above anything he could have imagined in his worse nightmares. It was so excruciating that it made him want to either kill himself or allow the waves of insanity that were clouding his mind to take complete control over him so that he did not have to feel anything anymore. But every time he was about to give up, he saw a pair of brown orbs in his mind's eye. They were looking at him with the same expression that he saw the night in the Gryffindor common room when she healed his wounds and kissed him. And that warmth and love she radiated pushed away the madness that threatened to overtake him.

Through the haze he felt the pull of the pendant - she needed him, she was worried about him and then he saw her again, felt her presence near him. Her soul had reached out to his and that was enough to guide him through his own personal hell. And when she touched him, and her physical warmth merged with his godfather's magic had flown into his veins, that moment he knew, that she was indeed the one for him and that he would never ever let her go.

That was last night and now in the waking of a new day, his mind turned to more practical things like telling her the truth about the bonding. He did not expect it to be easy. Merlin knew how proud his Gryffindor Princess was and how much she hated to be dependent on somebody else. He had no doubt that finding out that he knew about her feelings for him and had a complete control over her heart, would make her feel humiliated and furious at the same time. But he would deal with it with all the cunningness of a true Slytherin. She would be his by the end of the day.

Just as he was contemplating what he was going to say to Hermione, his eyes fell on the opened door to the bathroom and he cringed. He was immensely grateful to his cousins for saving him from Azkaban. And the way they put themselves on a spot both figuratively and literally made him admire their courage and devotion. At the same time he could not help but curse his bad lack that his soul mate-to-be had to witness the whole thing.

Knowing how shy and insecure Hermione was when it came to her appearance and sensuality, there was no doubt that the show the Delacours had put on had been a blow to her. Draco was already lucky not to be sporting two matching black eyes from the respective boyfriends of the two sisters. And if he could expect Blaise, his best friend since childhood, to be an adult about the situation, he was impressed that Potter had actually allowed Fleur to carry out her plan. That could only mean that the Boy-Who-Lived not only truly loved the French beauty but was also confident in her own affections towards him. Hermione, however, had no idea how Draco felt and, he could bet his family fortune, was convinced that he could not possible have any romantic feelings for her.

His train of thoughts was interrupted by the Gryffindor stirring next to him. She yawned, stretched and set up in her chair, her eyes focusing on him.

"Good morning," Draco decided that a polite greeting was a good enough start.

"Morning," Hermione smiled with relief seeing him in such an obvious better state. "How are you feeling?"

"Quite good," he replied also smiling. "Thanks to you and Severus."

Hermione blushed, "Oh, it was mostly Professor Snape," her eyes lit up with curiosity, "I am not sure what spells he was casting but they seemed to be really powerful magic."

Draco chuckled from this comment. She would always remain Hermione Granger - the girl who wanted to know everything.

"He restored my natural barriers that were removed by the potion," he explained light-heartedly. "It's like blood transfusion only the donor is giving his own magic."

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise, "It's really…" she could not find a right word to describe such an act of true generosity that was seemingly so unlike Snape. The moment she thought it, she felt really guilty. She hated prejudiced people but years spent on a receiving end of Snape's disdain did their job. And though she saw him in a completely different light after yesterday, the force of habit was still there. "He really cares about you," she continued thoughtfully. "It was clearly written on his face last night." She looked up at Draco's face and tried to explain. "It's just I have never seen him like that… I presume very few others have. And it's probably safer that way." She trailed off not knowing what else to say. She felt uncomfortable not telling Draco about Snape's role in the Order of the Phoenix but at the same time it was not her secret to reveal. So she decided to changes the subject. "Are you hungry?" she asked eagerly hoping that he would say "yes" and she would have something to do instead of being scrutinised by a pair of grey eyes that held way too much power over her.

He contemplated her question for a moment. He would not have minded eating something but he did not want her rushing around. "I'll wait until breakfast," he announced at the same time attempting to seat up in bed. Hermione immediately rushed forward to help him, moving the pillows behind his back. He was glad for her assistance, his muscles still weak, but he would be damned if he started this conversation lying flat on his back. He did not fancy having fuming Hermione Granger tower over him.

"Look," he started, "about yesterday…"

Before he could say anything else, she shook her head, "You don't have to explain it to me…" she stated quietly avoiding meeting his gaze.

To say that Draco was surprised would have been an understatement. He expected her to be bursting with questions, demanding an explanation of the events. And here she was declaring she did not need his answers. It made him worried, what had this brilliant but utterly headstrong Gryffindor had come up with this time?! His eyes narrowed and he asked in a carefully controlled tone, "I don't?"

Hermione blushed, "I mean…" she bit her lip, "it would be useful to know what happened with… You-Know-Who… But what happened here…" she refused to even look towards the bathroom, "I don't want to know… It's none of my business…"

**I am really sorry it took so long for me to update. For the last weeks I had no free time at all. **

**This chapter is a bit short and there is not much action in it. But it's a necessary step to get the story going. I'll try to update sooner and promise that the next chapter will return to our two main characters and there will be lots of Draco/Hermione romance. Please review.**


	20. Chapter 19 Part 2

_Previously. Hermione blushed, "I mean…" she bit her lip, "it would be useful to know what happened with… You-Know-Who… But what happened here…" she refused to even look towards the bathroom, "I don't want to know… It's none of my business…"_

Chapter 19 Part 2

There she said it… Hermione was proud of herself. Last night sitting next to Draco's bed, she admitted in her mind what her heart had known all along. She had fallen for Draco Malfoy, fallen so deep, that it was doubtful that there would ever be a space for anyone else in her heart.

It had started slowly, with curiosity and fascination when she learnt that there was more to him than a Muggle hating pureblood. During their Occlumency classes her feelings had turned into an attraction, a crush on a young man who had so many panes to his character. And somewhere afterwards when she had experienced the safety of his embrace and the shrill excitement of his kisses, her feelings had blossomed into full blown love. She could even pinpoint the exact moment when her heart had succumbed to this feeling - the night in the Gryffindor common room, when he kissed her and then defended her from Ron.

It took her mind a few weeks to catch up but now she could not deny it any longer. She loved Draco, with all her heart and soul and there was nothing she could do about that. However, if her heart was shuttered it did not mean that she would not at least try to preserve her pride. That's why she resolved to not discuss his relationship with the Delacour's sisters.

Though Fleur had denied that the scene had meant anything; and later on, Hermione did notice that, after Fleur got back from the Headmaster's office, the two sisters had left accompanied by Harry and Blaise. But it was too little too late since just a few hours earlier Hermione had seen a visualisation of why she would never have a chance with Draco.

She was timid plain Hermione Granger, a lot of brains and little beauty. She had never fit with popular crowd before and there was no reason why it would be different now. And Draco Malfoy firmly belonged to that crowd being good looking, rich and confident. Hermione herself was more than self assured when it came to her intelligence, she was insecure in all those things that came with men and relationships. Ron was a prime example of that.

And though Draco had kissed her a couple of times, she hardly doubted that he had any serious feelings for her and that meant that she would have to hide hers from him. She did not need his pity and did not want to settle for a fling that he would get over in a minute and she would probably never recover.

XXX

She was refusing to look at him and it told him everything he needed to know. "Hermione, look at me," he asked gently. When she did not response he repeated quietly but firmly, "Look at me, please."

Almost against her will she raised her head and immediately regretted it. It was hard enough to keep her emotions in check without being exposed to the hypnotising intensity of his eyes.

"There is nothing going on between me and the Delacour sisters," Draco made sure that his eyes were boring into hers preventing Hermione from breaking the eye contact. "What you saw yesterday was their desperate and unorthodox attempt to save me from Azkaban, nothing more, noting less. I am not going to deny that what they did showed a great deal of devotion and I am forever in their debt. But that's what families do for each other. It has nothing to do with any sort of romantic relationship… That's why now Gabriele is with Blaise, Fleur is with Potter and I am here with you."

She felt tears welling in her eyes and took a deep breath. His words and especially his soft, warm tone were like a balm on her bleeding heart. However, she did not want her wishful thinking influencing the decision she had made. Suddenly one of his words registered in her mind, "Families?" she asked hoarsely.

Draco did not bother to hide his surprise. Had Potter not told her? That damn idiot…

"Well, of course," he exclaimed, "We are cousins. Fleur and Gabi, and I…"

"Cousins?" Hermione forgot about her decision not to ask questions. His revelation was making no sense to her. "But they are Veelas…"

"They are quarter Veelas by blood," Draco corrected. "But it does not matter, since it still makes them possess most of the qualities of pure Veelas. Our grandmother was a pure Veela. She had married Abraxis Malfoy and they had two children: son Lucius, who you know is my father; and my aunt, Apolline, who had married Antoine Delacour and had two daughters, Fleur and Gabriele."

She stared at him opened mouth her mind trying to process the information. Draco - a cousin of two French beauties?! Lucius Malfoy – a half-bread? It was unbelievable… However, now she could see where that shiny blond hair of his came from…Veela genes, which meant…

"You are a male Veela?" she asked Draco momentarily forgetting everything else.

He shook his head, "There is no such thing as a male Veela," and seeing her confused expression explained, "Veelas are always female. But I carry their genes and have some…" he paused trying to find a right word, "some traits from them. But I don't have any special magical powers that Veelas possess."

She remained quiet for a moment and then shook her head resignedly, "I still don't understand," she admitted, "How is it possible? I mean you are a Malfoy, and Malfoys are supposed to be as pure-blooded as it gets…"

Draco smirked, "We are…" he replied, "in a sense that we are as magical as it gets." At this arrogant statement Hermione rolled her eyes forcing the Slytherin to explain. "Look, my ancestors were not stupid. They knew that inbreeding was a real threat especially when living on an island. So they set up a rule. Every other generation the Malfoy heir marries either internationally or interracial. Mostly mixed raced marriages were with Veelas and True Elves but there were also some to vampires and warlocks."

"But how do you get away with it?" she exclaimed, "Wizardian world is extremely prejudiced against half-breads."

Draco smiled wryly, "Few things. We always marry humanoid magical creatures so there are no differences in appearances with wizards. The most we have is a blond hair from Veelas and light eyes from the Elves. Also all Malfoy's brides are highly trained in the wizardian etiquette and rules so they don't stand out. But the main reason is that we had always married into power, money and beauty. And the wizardian world treasures these three qualities above everything else. It was simply too dangerous to fight against us so what people did was simply ignore the fact. To the point that nowadays nobody even thinks about it twice especially that every second generation we marry into wizardian society in Britain and are probably linked to most of the influential families here."

Hermione frowned. She still was surprised that the Malfoys could get away with an interracial marriages but she had more important questions at the moment. "So what kind of traits do you have from Veelas?" she asked as always curious to find out more.

This was what Draco was waiting for. It was time to tell her the truth about the bonding. He took a deep breath and began his explanation making sure he chose his words carefully.

"Bonding." She frowned and he hurried to continue. "Males carrying enough Veelas genes choose life mates through the same process of bonding as pure Veelas. Usually such bond is initiated by a human partner who forms the initial link. And then it's up to a Veela to complete or break it."

His grey eyes bored into hers trying to see into her soul. He was sure that by now she had started to put two and two together. And Merlin knew how much he wished to know what she was thinking! But he could not use Legilimency without her noticing. So he forced himself to finish the explanation, "The bonding is the only Veela trait that I have. It happened to my father and it's happening to me."

With every word he spoke, Hermione's heart sank deeper and deeper. It could not… It simply could not be… Had she bonded to him?! Had her body and soul been stupid enough to choose him as a mate? These feelings that she had developed for him… and was hoping to hide from him… Had he known about them all along?! Merlin, help her…

She forced herself to look him in the eyes and saw there a confirmation. He knew and there was nothing she could do to change that. "When?" she asked hoping that she had managed to keep her voice neutral.

"The night in the Gryffindor common room. Your eyes changed colour to match mine."

Now she understood the shift in him that night. Her face turned bright read. "You did not tell me," a hint of accusation tinted her statement.

"I was shocked," he admitted quietly keeping his calm demeanour firmly in place, "I did not expect anything like this to happen between us. You've hated me for five years. And the bond requires complete trust. Plus we were just sixteen. It normally happens a few years later. If I told you, I would have to explain the whole thing and it was not the right time."

"And now it is?" she could not hide the bitterness in her voice.

His face hardened, "Yes, it is," he stated seriously, "you need to know, you have the right to know."

She glared at him, "I have the right to know?" her voice rang with anger. "How kind of you! Especially since I can't do anything about it, can I? It's all up to you now. And I should just sit and wait patiently for "His Slytherin Highness' " decision whether to break my heart or not."

Her words made him cringed. Though her words were incredibly blunt to the point of being cruel, she was right and factually he could not argue with her. But he would be damned if he allowed her to blame him for everything. Submission was not his style and at the moment accepting blame would not help him anyway. So he allowed anger that was brewing in him to spill out. "Well, what else can I do?" he looked at her defiantly, "I can't help what I am!"

Her anger dissipated as quickly as it grown and she felt tears forming in her eyes. He was right - he could not change what he was. And it was her that had stupidly decided all those months ago to get under Malfoy's skin in order to turn him to the light side. And it was her again who ignored the warning signs when she started to fall for him. So it was her fault all around but, Merlin, was this unfair… She blinked fiercely refusing to cry at such a moment. "It isn't fair," her voice broke as she repeated her thoughts out loud, "You have no right to know about my feelings, no right at all to have so much power over me."

His heart tightened from seeing her like this. He knew that she was a very proud creature. And, Merlin knew, he could relate to that. Being brought up as a Malfoy, he learnt very early in his life to crush any sign of weakness in himself and portray to the world the image of impregnable confidence and perfection. He hated not being in control and felt really sorry for Hermione, who hated it just as much. Draco wanted to reach for her, hold her in his arms, but he wasn't sure she would accept and decided to reason with her instead.

"Look, Hermione, I am sorry that…" he paused trying to find a right word to describe what was happening without sparking her anger again, but given up and just waived his hand around, "that it's happening this way. I know that it's not how you would have wanted it." He then looked straight into her eyes, for once willing his emotions to be openly seen on his face. "But don't expect me to say that I am sorry it… we… have happened. Perhaps I should have tried to do it differently, more romantic, but I did not… But not for the lack of feelings or respect towards you. I can swear to you that in no shape or form I meant to hurt you by telling you about the bonding. And I hope you believe that in this particular case I do not enjoy my "position of power"," his lips twisted into a bitter smile. "But I thought you would want to know the truth before we complete the bond."

She stared at him in shock, her tears drying out instantaneously, "Complete the bond?" she repeated dumbly. "What do you mean - complete the bond?"

Draco mentally cursed, why on Earth hadn't he simply given her a book on Veela's bonding? It would have spared him at least that part of the explanation.

"The initial bond is formed by a union of souls, the complete one – by the union of bodies," he said curtly. "It means…"

Hermione's face turned bright red again but she did not allow herself to be distracted by that thought. "It's not what I meant," she interrupted impatiently. "I don't need to know how it's done since we are not going to do it."

It was Draco's turn to look puzzled. "Why, the hell, not?"

She stared at him incredulously and her eyes narrowed, anger igniting in them once more. "What are you trying to do, Malfoy? Make me feel even more humiliated than I already am? Trust me, you don't have to try… The situation itself had already taken care of it. I might have lost my stupid heart to you but I still have my pride and would not let you walk all over me."

This time it was his turn to get mad, "What are you talking about?" he leaned forward from his pillows and, almost against her will, she rushed forward to support him, but he waived her off. "What humiliation? Have you not heard a word I have just said?! Why are you Gryffindors always so damn self-absorbed? It's not just about you, it's about us… And whether you like it or not, I am as much part of this as you are. And all I am trying to do now is to explain things to you so that we both know what's happening. So you understand that what we feel is more than a teenage crush and that when the time comes it would be more than just sex. Merlin, I thought you would be happy that from now onwards we are together to love and comfort, in sickness and in health till death do us part!"

**Hi All. As promised I am updating. This is a new chapter. Hope you like it. Please review.**


	21. Chapter 19 Part 3

Previously: "…from now onwards we are together to love and comfort, in sickness and in health till death do us part!"

Chapter 19 Part 3

His words were the last drop and Hermione could not contain her emotions any longer. She felt faint: her head was spinning overwhelmed by feelings and facts. Her sensible half was screaming that it was all some sort of a joke. That Draco Malfoy had not just admitted having feelings for her and intentions to spend the rest of his life by her side. But her foolish side had escaped the control of her mind and soared into the skies. He had chosen her! He wanted to be with her. He had just recited muggle wedding vows to her!

In one step she was next to him, throwing herself into his arms, grateful that the bed was large enough to accommodate both of them. He returned the embrace immediately and she buried her head in his shoulder. All the tension of the past twenty four hours left her body and she began to cry.

It was just like the previous times when she broke down in his arms but now Draco did not hesitate, he tightened his embrace as he gently rocked her body, brushing her curls and whispering soft words of comfort. She clung to him revelling in the warmth and safety that his arms provided. He seemed to feel her need and responded by planting small kisses onto her hair and temples. Ever so slowly he pulled her head back and his lips continued to travel across her face drying up tears and making her shiver and melt at the same time.

Hermione forgot about everything, her confusion and doubts disappeared and all that was left was that spark that ignited somewhere in her belly and quickly spread through her whole body. Being in his embrace was no longer enough and she moved her head searching for his lips. And when she found them, she did not hesitate to make contact.

Draco felt like he was drowning, drowning in the sweetness of her mouth and in the feel of her body on top of his. It had been too damn long since he had kissed her last time and, oh Merlin, it was as good as he remembered.

A strong feeling of possessiveness surged through him and he revelled in the knowledge that from now onwards Hermione Granger was his. This strong headed, muggle born Gryffindor, who had somehow managed to get into his life and his soul, belonged to him. He would have to pay a handsome price for this weakness but the reward was absolutely worth the sacrifice - he would be the only man she had and would ever know. With him she would experience and learn the pleasures of a physical bond between a witch and a wizard.

He could not wait to start; to explore her body as he was now exploring her mouth. Not breaking the kiss his hands travelled down her back and then over her bum to her legs as he shifted her slightly so that she was straddling him. He was rewarded by a moan that nearly made him lose his mind completely.

But this was not the place and the time. His body was still recovering and Fleur could come back any minute. Reluctantly he pulled away and looked at Hermione's face. Her eyes were half closed and darkened with passion, lips bright red and swollen from his kisses. She was beautiful! But before he had a chance to tell her that, her expression changed and he was startled to see her lip tremble as she looked at him sadly.

"What's wrong?" he asked in alarm.

Hermione took a deep breath. She had to, absolutely had to, say this, "Please, Draco," she pulled away further so she could see him clearly. "I am so sorry I accused you of trying to humiliate me. I know that you won't do it. And I believe that you meant what you said. But please, please think again. This is probably the biggest mistake you can make in your life. You are not in love with me. I cannot be your soul mate. I am not even your type." He was about to protest but she pressed a finger to his lips, effectively stopping him. "I remember that night in the Gryffindor common room. You could not get out of there fast enough. And the fact that I have bonded to you is my problem, not yours. If you stay with me, you'll end up hating me at the end and I don't think I would be able to live with that."

His grey eyes softened and he leaned back into the pillows, "Oh, Granger," he drawled but there was no sign of sarcasm in his voice. "You forget that I am not a Gryffindor. It would never occur to me to sacrifice myself for the sake of your feelings." He saw her doubtful expression and chuckled. "I know that that night I was not jumping with joy. But you have to understand. I was not prepared. I had a crush you, yes… But I was not really thinking about choosing my life's mate at the tender age of sixteen. It had never happened to somebody that young in our whole family history, which you can imagine is pretty long. That's why I did not think twice about kissing you and giving you the Link pendant. It never ever occurred to me that we could form a bond. And then when it happened…"

He paused trying to find the right words and she held her breath waiting for him to continue, "I just did not know what to do. I liked you, a lot, and was attracted to you but was it the real thing? Were you the one?" He ran his hand through his hair in a frustrated gesture and despite the seriousness of the conversation, Hermione almost laughed. She very much doubted that many people had seen Draco Malfoy messing up his perfect hair. He seemed to not have noticed her smile as he spoke up again.

"And on top of it all, I knew that it would be dangerous for the both of us. And I am not talking about our families and friends who, to put it mildly, aren't going to be thrilled. And not even about Rita Skitter who would have her Christmas and birthday wishes of ten years fulfilled in one go." His face hardened and he instinctively tightened his hold on her, "You are already at great risk by being Potter's friend and being with me would make you into an even bigger target than before. And that would make me vulnerable." His expression turned grim. "I am balancing a very fine line between Voldermot and Dumbledore, and if they find out that you are my soul mate… well, both of them would have a field day…" he paused again as if trying to push gloomy thoughts out of his head and tried to smile, "So don't be offended that I was not more forthcoming. I had to figure things out…"

His words touched her, he had never been very talkative about his feelings, it was mostly her pouring her heart and tears on him. But she needed to know more before she could be completely sure, "So what has changed?" she asked quietly.

He looked at her steadily, "Yesterday…" She stiffened but he continued unphased, his face becoming reflective, "I really thought I was going to go mad from the pain, and every time I was about to give up fighting, I saw your eyes in front of me. Just as they were in the Gryffindor common room - so warm, so full of love… And they kept me sane. I could not have gone through it without you, no matter how much magic Severus had poured into me. So then I knew that you were the one and that I was an idiot doubting it."

While talking, he pulled her closer so she was again nestled in his arms. At some point during their make out session, the knot of his robe had come undone so her hand was now resting on his naked chest, feeling the solid muscles behind the smooth skin. His heartbeat was soothing and Hermione inhaled deeply, her nostrils filling with the unique scent of him that made her insides melt for the umpteen time.

She was touched by his words and knew deep down that they came from his heart and he truly believed in them. But a part of her still doubted that she was indeed the one for him. However, being so close to him rendered her incapable of any coherent thoughts. It would have to wait till later, when she was alone. For now she would simply enjoy the time she had with him.

His quiet but firm voice interrupted her thoughts, "There will be no more thinking about this…" The breath that came out of his mouth as he spoke covered her neck in goose bumps. She pulled away from him.

"What?" she hated how breathless her voice sounded.

Draco looked at her seriously, "I said there would be no more thinking about this. It's settled, done and dusted. We love each other and we are going to be bonded to each other within twenty four hours. And there is no point overanalysing everything again instead of just accepting things as they are."

"I don't overanalyse…" she retorted but stopped midsentence when he gave her a long look, "And anyhow, I think this time the matter deserves some serious thinking. I mean we are talking about the rest of our lives, for Christ's sake. You had a whole week to get used to the idea and I think I deserve the same. I need to make sure that we are not making a mistake. It could have disastrous consequences…"

He arched his eyebrows at her but when she stared at him defiantly, shrugged his shoulders, "Hermione, I know that you are used to always making decisions yourself and be the one in control: with Professors there is no question you don't know the answer for; with your classmates you are a bossy and confident know-it-all; even with Potter, you are the calm and collected brains behind him. That's why you always rethink and recheck things over: two, three, ten times. Because you know that you can't afford to make a mistake.

But you need to understand that from now onwards it's going to be different. I am not Potter or Weasley, I have been brought up to take responsibility for my actions and to make decisions, which means you can trust me to take care of things, especially when it comes to the two of us. And, before you hex me, I am not being a patronising pureblood here. Be assured that I have no intention of controlling your life as it is sometimes customary in the wizardian world. I will listen to you and let you do whatever you want as long as it does not threaten the safety and wellbeing of our family. And at the moment your safety would be greatly improved if we complete the bond. It would mean that the whole of the Malfoy family would be bound to protect you. You would become part of our clan and that could mean a difference between life and death for you."

Hermione stared at him in shock, her mouth agape. "You mean," she started, "that Lu…" she stopped not able to say the name out loud, "that your father would protect me?"

Draco looked at her seriously, "With his life," he stated calmly. "You are my soul mate, meaning you are a part of me and a future mother of my children. No matter what my parents think of my choice, they would not risk continuation of the Malfoy's line. And it's very rare for a Veela to find another mate." He paused seeing her shocked face that was quickly turning bright red. His face softened and he cupped her cheek with his hand. "You are too precious for me, which means I will not hesitate at anything to ensure your safety. Even using your debt of honour to me to ensure your compliance."

Hermione did not know what to think or say. She was frozen on a spot, a myriad of thoughts flying through her head. She was touched by his concern and his determination to protect her. At the same time part of her was offended that he was declining her right to have the last word regarding their bonding. He was prepared to pretty much blackmail her with her debt of honour!!! A voice inside her told her that it was hardly a surprise. He was a Malfoy and a Slytherin after all and she was realistic enough to know that he would not change his ways just because he was in love with her. He was used to getting his own way and in this case, thanks to the damn Veela genes, he knew for sure that she wanted nothing more than to be with him and would given her consent anyway, so all he was really doing was just speeding things along.

What meant a lot to her was his promise of freedom to live her life like she wanted, which was more than she could have expected from many other wizardian families where the women had substantially less rights.

Her biggest surprise, however, was that he had known how tired she was from always being the one responsible for everything. Keeping Harry and Ron out of trouble, making sure they were safe and did not do anything stupid, helping them with homework and even giving them advice about girls. And on top of all this, for the last year and a half constantly planning, plotting, studying – for anything that could keep Harry alive and allow him to defeat Voldermot.

She did indeed feel that the weight of the world was on her shoulders and she was beginning to struggle under the pressure. But she had never complained, never even told anyone. She made sure that all relevant memories were in the pensive when they practiced Occlumency.

Her conflicting emotions must have been written on her face as his arms tightened around her. "Please don't be offended," she heard his voice again, "I did not say all this to embarrass you in any way. And I did not learn it using Legilimency. I just know you; we have a lot more in common than you think. I also find it difficult to count on others. But I have learnt to do it. And you need to do the same, be able to let yourself go, to lose control and rely on someone else and whom better than me?"

For a second she considered his words. Part of her was still wanting to rebel against him but the other part of her did not want to fight anymore. Life was too short for it! And she almost lost him yesterday! So why should she battle with him? He was offering her, her most secret and precious dream. Why would she deny herself being with him when her whole being was craving just that?! They had so many battles ahead of them, why add another one?!

Without another thought she sank back into his embrace. "I always knew you were a manipulative, conniving Slytherin," she muttered, "But when did you learn to be so wise? I mean, you are Draco Malfoy, you are supposed to be an insensitive jerk with nothing but hateful words towards me."

He chuckled at her, relief washing over him, "Well, I can answer that," he replied dryly, "It all started when some know-it-all Gryffindor became determined to get close to a bad ass, mean Slytherin, much closer than was wise for both of them."

His words brought memories of their first encounters and she smiled. Though he could not see her face he could feel that smile against his skin where her lips touched him. It made him smile as well. And then she lifted her face and kissed him and he dived into the kiss like a starving man and immediately felt in peace and knew that so did she. It was not going to last for long. They were in the middle of the war but for now, for the short hours of Sunday morning, they would simply enjoy it…

**Hi All. Here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it and please send a review if you have a minute.**

**On the other note, I am looking for a Beta for this story: to help with spell checks, grammar and feedback on the plot. New ideas would also be welcome. So if anybody is interested please drop me an e-mail. Thanks. **


	22. Chapter 20

Chapter 22

At breakfast Ron Weasley set at the Gryffindor table desperately trying to ignore his girlfriend Lavender. He had a lot to think about and her continuous bubbling next to him was extremely distracting.

Last week had turned out not the way he was hoping. And at the moment the living confirmation of his failed plans sat at the next table. Draco Malfoy, His Ferret Highness, occupied his usual place at the head of the Slytherin table, talking to his loyal sidekick Blaise Zabini, who was nursing a cup of coffee in his hand. The two of them projected such air of arrogant superiority that made Ron sick to his stomach. For the past week the redhead had been trying to understand how on earth, Malfoy had managed to escape Azkaban and not just escape it, but to be completely unscathed, not even losing his Prefect's badge?!

And on that afternoon nine days ago everything had seemed to be going so smoothly. After sending an owl to the Ministry Ron waited until Scrimgeour and Aurors arrived to the castle. To avoid unnecessary suspicions he then decided to return to the Gryffindor common room and tell Ginny about what he had found it. The discussion went as planned and by dinner time he had a firm ally in his younger sister who was eager to seek revenge to her own hurt feelings as well as her brothers'.

Both of them were dying to see Malfoy being caught by Scrimgeour. But they could not risk exposure so decided to contend themselves with seeing Hermione's and Delacours' faces when they had learnt the truth. The Weasleys made it to the Great Hall early just to make sure they did not miss any announcements. But to their surprise everything was relatively normal.

Of course, the whole School was in uproar, after Hogwarts had been search by Aurors looking for Death Eaters. It did not help the matters that neither Malfoy nor Zabini were anywhere to be seen, which caused a lot of pointed glances and hushed whispers among other houses, though nobody dared to speak their names out loud. As always in sight of danger the Slytherin House had closed ranks and were ready to hex anybody for even a slight hint that the search had anything to do with their two leaders. The tension in the Hall was almost palpable and it did not help that Snape was not at the Head table, from which he usually had a very firm control over his house.

But for once Ron did not care what Slytherins did, what worried him was the absence of both Hermione and Harry who had not returned to their dorms after the Hogsmead trip. The Delacours sisters were also missing. This had made Ron suspicious regarding what happened between Malfoy and the Aurors and his worst fears were confirmed with the arrival of Dumbledore who made a quick announcement saying that Hogwarts had been searched for Death Eater during the afternoon and to everybody's relief the Ministry's suspicions had been proven ungrounded. The Headmaster's speech made the tension in the Hall lessen for everybody except Ron, who was ridden speechless and for the first time ever lost his appetite completely.

Now a week later Ron was convinced that the reason behind his failure had something to do with Hermione. Though he could not catch her on anything suspicious, there was a remarkable change in the Gryffindor Princess. Hermione had already been noticed by most boys in the school but now she started to practically ooze sex appeal. It seemed that some heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders making her more relaxed and confident. She almost glided through the halls of Hogwarts her head held high and a smile illuminating her face.

Ron might not have been the brightest wizard ever been born but he could put two and two together and was prepared to bet his own soul that the reason behind such change in Hermione was Malfoy. The Slytherin had completed the bond and from now onwards Hermione belonged to him. The thought made Ron cringe and fume in silent anger. His friends had truly betrayed him. First Harry and then Hermione and he could not believe that both times they had betrayed him to the spawns of the Malfoy family.

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Sitting at the Head Table Severus Snape studied the student population of Hogwarts. The past week had been incredibly busy for him and he could not devote enough time to a search for a person who betrayed Draco to the Ministry, no matter how much he longed to catch the bastard. However, the Potion's Master did make some progress. After careful consideration he had ruled out the teachers for two reasons. Firstly, most of them knew very well that there were quite a few Death Eaters among Slytherins and Ravenclaws but firmly believed that the matter should not be escalated. And secondly, none of the Professors were too keen on the Ministry and would have gone to Dumbledore instead of Scrimgeour.

This meant that it was a student who had found out the truth. He excluded the Slytherins straight away. They all knew how powerful and well connected Malfoy's family was and also how vindictive they could be. Lucius and Narcissa would not rest until they discovered who had betrayed their only son. And the news would no doubt reach Voldemort, who did not treat traitors to his course kindly.

This left three Houses, with Ravenclaws as prime suspects. They were clever and sneaky. Hufflepuffs usually did not have the brains for such an endeavour and Gryffindors were too damn noble. Of courses neither house could be discounted completely. Personal vengeance was an overpowering force, especially when coming from a hurt woman. And Draco had been involved with a lot of girls. Though he had a fantastic ability to stay on good terms with them and usually left a girl in the arms of a next suitor, unconsciously-Snape was sure of it- using his Veela heritage to sense suitable mates, it was still possible that an old flame had harboured resentful feelings towards the blond Slytherin. On the other side there were also the ex-boyfriends of those girls who might want to seek revenge.

Snape realised that to discover the person that betrayed Draco would be difficult. He would either have to find good bait or resort to using Legilimency, which would be risky and time consuming.

Severus' eyes travelled along the Gryffindor table. Granger was engrossed in a conversation with Potter. They were sitting very close to each other, receiving spiteful glances from the two Weasleys and a number of envious stares from the rest of the student population. For Potter it was not a new occurrence, being a proclaimed Saviour of the wizardian world, made him into a magnet for Hogwarts girls. But for Granger, it was probably the first time that she had male students practically drooling over her.

Snape had to admit that the Gryffindor know-it-all was a prime example of what good sex life could do to a woman. She was practically glowing and turned from quite an ordinary girl into a striking beauty. His godson was a lucky man to find such a witch and, if Severus was honest with himself, completing the bond with Granger was, probably, one of Draco's smartest moves.

As the potion master observed the Gryffindor girl, Potter leaned towards her and whispered something in her ear and she giggled. The scene did not go unnoticed by the students, many of whom exchanged knowing glances, which made the dark wizard smile. He was really impressed at how the three couples coped with having to hide their relationships.

Going into the open was not an option for any of them except perhaps Blaise and Gabriele. But knowing the controlling character and temperament of his mother, it was perhaps safer not to inform her, that her only son had bonded to a Veela. The situation for Potter and Fleur was even worse. If the French girl was found out as Potter's girlfriend she would immediately become a target for Death Eaters. And Snape did not even want to entertain the thought of Draco's and Granger's relationship being in the open. Even a suspicion about the two being anything more than bitter enemies would put both of them into a mortal danger, which was all too real considering that somebody had spied on Draco and Delacours in the Shrieking Shack.

Snape had discussed the situation with Draco and Blaise and they all agreed that some damage control was needed to be done. Hogwarts was a perfect nesting ground for spreading gossip. The best way to hide the truth was to send rumours into an opposite direction.

That's why for the past week Potter and Granger had been seen together a lot, which was not much different from usual except for some subtle changes in their behaviour. They were sitting slightly closer together; her hand would occasionally brush his and he would whisper things in her ear. It was all that was needed. Everybody decided that Potter had given up on his long distance relationship, since he was not receiving any more letters, and turned his attentions closer to home.

On the other hand some spicy rumours had started about Draco and Blaise, the two biggest hearts throbs at Hogwarts, being after the two Veela girls. Both Slytherins were known to share in the past and apparently this time they had decided to take it a step further and pursue two French sisters. A few meaningful glances and flirtatious smiles was enough to send this train firmly on its way.

These developments provided enough food for thought and gossip and diverted the attention from the actual thing. Snape had no idea when and how the real couples managed to meet but looking at them all, he had no doubt that they did. At the end of the day the number of hours required for sleeping was definitely overestimated, especially when one had some pleasant diversities to keep the energy levels up, as the Potions Master had recently discovered himself.

Snape's thought were interrupted by a loud bang. It was Weasley who had dropped his books while trying to storm out of the Great Hall. The redhead sank to the floor gathering his possessions and for a second Snape caught a pair of blue eyes that were focused on Hermione Granger. There was so much malice in them, that the Potions Master narrowed his eyes. Could it really be? Hmmm, he would have to think this over…

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Hermione sat at her History of Magic class for once not paying a slightest bit of attention to what Professor Binn was saying. She really did not get enough sleep last night. The time turner that allowed her time to spend with Draco, unfortunately did not prevent her being tired. It was a paradox really that Hermione that was asleep in her dormitory had absolutely no effect on Hermione who spent her night in the Room of Requirement and then had to go to classes. Draco called it magical payback – that for every spell you used to cheat your way out of rules of life, you had to give up something else.

Her thoughts shifted to the blond haired Slytherin and an image of him from this morning materialized in her mind's eye. When she woke up, he was still fast asleep, sprawled out on the dark blue silk sheets, his pale skin presenting a startling contrast with the colour of the bedding. He looked so at peace, his expression completely unguarded and somehow even more beautiful than usually.

Again and again Hermione wondered how had it happen that she ended up dating the most gorgeous guy of Hogwarts?! Oh, she had no complains and actually, very much enjoyed the fact, that Draco Malfoy, the dream of almost every girl at Hogwarts, was spending his nights in her bed and would be doing so for the rest of his life.

However, sometimes she felt like pinching herself and part of her was scared to wake up and realise that all of this was just a dream. A dream where his eyes changed into pools of grey silver at the sight of her, where his hands were wrapped protectively around and he whispered words of endearment in her ear.

And of course there were other dreams turned reality where his warm lips trailed a path on her neck, where he drove her wild with his caresses and then brought her to explosive completion when she forgot everything and anything except his body moving next to her, around her and within her.

But it was not a dream, she reminded herself. If she stretched her hand just now, she could stroke his warm skin, feel the solid muscles of his body. Hermione could not resist the temptation and reached out to touch him but her hand was caught in a firm grasp and she was flipped over ending up on her back, the sheet that she wrapped around herself, discarded haphazardly.

She tried to pull it back but he stopped her, "I do enjoy you staring at me like that but it does mean that I would not want to return the favour…" he whispered huskily in her ear, as his hand and leg held her firmly in place and his eyes roamed over her naked body.

Hermione blushed and closed her eyes, "There is nothing to look at…" she whispered.

She expected him to object as he did every time she had said something negative about her appearance but he did not and she opened her eyes surprised and slightly hurt.

The grey orbs were staring at her with something in between irritation and hurt. "You keep saying that," he said removing his hold on her hands and instead cupping her cheek. "And I keep saying that it's not true, but you obviously don't believe me. And I've had enough of that."

She tried to wrestle out of his grip but it was not easy. "Draco," she finally gave up, "we'll be late."

He shook his head, "We have plenty of time and you know it. Albeit I had different plans on how I wanted to spend it but this is more important. I want you to explain to me why you think, you are not worth looking at. Because I surely don't understand."

Oh, she did not want to have this conversation. She tried to wrestle with him again, hoping that her writhing would make him change his mind again and return to his previous plans. By now she had discovered that she had plenty of power over him, especially in their current state of undress. But this time she was not going to sway him, since he just gave her a long look and moved slightly away, still maintaining a firm hold on her.

Hermione gave up, "Look," she started, "it's nothing serious. I mean, I am not doubting your feelings or anything. It's just I know the truth… And I am OK with it. I have always known that I am not a striking beauty, not like Fleur or Lavender or Cho Chang. I am not ugly either but I am quite ordinary when it comes to looks. And I know that you enjoy them because of your feelings to me and trust me I am really glad and as I said, don't doubt your sincerity for a minute. But I feel slightly uncomfortable when you do that… I know that you've seen better and don't want to be compared with the others…" Here she lost her confidence and lowered her eyes, "Maybe I just need some time…" She did not dare to look at him fearing that he would laugh at her rumble. It would be hurtful for her if he did, because she hated baring her insecurities like this even to him.

However, he did not laugh and for a second both of them were quiet and then she felt him touch her cheek. Their eyes met and she caught her breath at the warmth she saw in his. She had only seen this expression once on his face, the morning they spent together at Fleur's room when he professed his feelings to her. That time he gave her complete access to his soul and now he was doing it again.

She could not take her eyes of him and saw him smiling sadly. "Oh, Hermione, for somebody who can be so intelligent and see through others so well, you can be so blind when it comes to yourself." With these words he grabbed his wand and waived it casually. A mirror appeared on the ceiling above them and he rolled onto his back bringing her with him.

"Look at us," Draco's voice was soft and commanding at the same time and she reluctantly obeyed. Surprisingly the reflection she saw did not embarrass her. They were beautiful together with her brown curls sprawled on his pale chest and his arms wrapped around her. "You don't see yourself beautiful," he whispered softly, "and perhaps this makes you even more attractive. But I don't want you to continue thinking like that." His eyes caught hers in the mirror, "So I will describe to you what I see when I look at you and what any man looking at you would see." He paused, his eyes swiping over her reflection and then continued even quieter.

"I see a girl, a young girl that has not reached her twenties yet. Her body is slim with long legs and small waist. But it is definitely a woman's body with shapely curves, not just bones and skin that, for some reason, is considered good-looking in the muggle world." He paused for a moment and his hand started to move up from her waist to her arm, shoulder and neck, his fingertips just glazing over the skin making her shiver. She was about to close her eyes when he continued willing her to concentrate on his words again. "I also see lovely arms with long fingers… elegant neck, flawless skin… They are calling to me, I want to touch them, to feel their softness and delicateness." His hand moved to her face and he traced her mouth with his index finger, his voice dropping even lower, "And then I look at her face with perfectly carved lips, huge brown eyes that sparkle with life and intelligence, and flowing, wild hair, that is a temptation in its own right making one wonder how it would feel to bury your hands in it." He paused again and Hermione caught her breath waiting for him to continue, which he did, his own eyes now sparkling with passion. "All together these features form a vision of a stunning girl. Not some short-lived pretty face that is forgotten a minute after it disappears out of sight, but a much more dangerous type of beauty that can entice a man, capture his heart and hold it prisoner for years to come. When all others would age and fade and she would become better and more beautiful with every day, blossoming like a rare flower."

With these words he turned her head so their eyes met face to face. "And this is what I see when I look at you. And what is more important for you right now, this is what others see when they look at you. You might not notice that, Hermione. But I am in love with you and I am cursed to notice the way other men look at you and blessed to know that you are and will be only mine…"

He stopped talking and kissed her so deep that she felt her soul flowing into him. And she responded to his kiss giving her whole into it. She broke it for just a moment that allowed her to whisper into his lips. "I love you too, Draco and thank you for making me feel so beautiful."

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"Hermione!" the voice that rang in her ear was not Draco's, "Earth to Hermione! The class is over."

She snapped her head up and saw Harry looking at her exasperatedly - the rest of the Gryffindors were pouring out of the classroom.

"Oh, sorry," she muttered starting to pack her belongings.

Harry just sighed, "Honestly," he said, "if I did not know better I would say that Malfoy put you under some sort of spell… Day dreaming during class!!!"

Hermione's face turned red, "I was just…" she started but Harry interrupted her.

"I don't wanna hear it," his expression turned panicky, "Whatever makes your eyes look like that, is definitely something I don't want to know."

His expression made Hermione smile and she purposefully placed her hand on his chest, "Are you sure, honey?" she started trying to sound seductively. "It might be interesting."

The green eyed boy gave her a filthy look and then his lips stretched into a sly smile as he took her hand in his and pressed his lips to her palm. It was her turn to panic and she tried to pull her hand free. He let go, a huge grin plastered on his face. As she tried to sweep pass him, he stopped her with his hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Two can play this game, sweetie."

This time it was her that gave him a filthy look and then they both laughed.

**Here is a next chapter. Hope you enjoy it. Reviews are very welcome.**


	23. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Why do we have to meet there?" Harry Potter wrapped his clock tighter trying without much success to keep himself dry from rain and sleet pouring down from a dark sky.

Hermione sighed exasperatedly, "You know why, Harry," she closed her mouth quickly to avoid a gash a wind, "We need to talk somewhere private and in such weather nobody would be wondering around the Quidditch pitch, so changing rooms are just the right spot for us."

"We could have talked in the Room-of-Requirement," the green eyed boy complained.

"No, we could not." Hermione's face clouded. "We have already been occupying it way too much and Draco says that the Headmaster is getting suspicious."

"And how does Malfoy know that?" Harry asked sarcastically.

"You know how," the Gryffindor Princess shot him a warning look. "Professor Snape…"

"Of course," Harry huffed, "one Slytherin told another…"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Oh, leave it, Harry. We've been through this already."

The Boy-Who-Lived muttered something under his breath making sure his words were lost in the noise of wind and rain. "We're going to be soaked," he wined instead.

In spite of her annoyance Hermione smiled, "There are drying charms, you know," she offered teasingly.

Harry gave her a foul look, "Yes, and afterwards you stink like a Laundromat."

Hermione laughed but quickly stopped her expression turning concerned, "Why are you in such a mood?" she asked. "You've been a real pain in the butt for the last two days.

At first she thought he was not going to reply but then Harry sighed, "Fleur has got a letter from her mother yesterday," his lips twisted into a bitter smile, "and it says in no uncertain terms that Mrs and Mr Delacour expect both of their daughters home for Christmas."

At the mention of Christmas Hermione's heart fell. Though neither her nor Draco knew yet where they were spending holidays, it was obvious that it was unlikely they'd be able to see each other.

Draco had not heard from his mother yet, but it was obvious, that she would either require her son to spend his winter break at the Malfoy Manor, which filled Hermione's heart with dread. Manor meant Death Eaters and Voldemort. Or, if Voldermot thought that Draco had to concentrate on his task, he would be ordered to stay at Hogwarts, and, no doubt, come up with something significant by the end of the holidays.

It would not be that bad if Hermione herself could stay back at Hogwarts, but she had received a letter from her parents asking her to visit them during holidays and also both her and Harry had been invited to Grimaulde Place, which meant staying in the same house as Ron and Ginny. The relationship between former friends was at all time low, with Ron and Hermione not speaking to each other and Harry avoiding Ginny like a plague.

It really was not the Christmas anybody was looking forward and Hermione could understand Harry's disappointment. If Fleur was staying behind, he could have perhaps convinced the Order to let him stay at Hogwarts at least for part of the holidays. But now it did not seem to be worth the effort.

Engrossed in their thoughts both Gryffindors finally arrived to the Quidittich changing rooms. They looked around and found Ernie and Luna already in place setting up the wards. Hermione and Harry added some warming charms and conjured a couple of chairs so at least they could sit.

"Do you know what's the meeting is about?" Ernie broke the silence.

Hermione just shrugged. Though Draco was the one to call the meeting, he did not provide her with any extra information. The Slytherin insisted on keeping personal relationships separate and secret from UAW, which meant that the Delacour sisters were not officially part of the organisation and Hermione had to pretend during meetings that she just tolerated Draco for the sake of the greater good. It was getting harder by the day and she absolutely hated the need to hide their relationship from everyone. Draco seemed to fare much better though he loathed the fact that Hermione was pretend to be dating Harry. This feeling was reciprocated by a Gryffindor who was ready to punch anybody who mentioned Fleur and Malfoy in one sentence.

The tensions were running high and Hermione often wondered just how long they would get away with keeping things secret. According to Snape there was already somebody who knew about their respective relationships and she dreaded to think what this person was planning to do now that the attempt to land Draco in Azkaban had failed.

With UAW still operating under cover they had to be extremely careful in their activities. By mutual agreement it was decided that herself, Harry, Draco and Blaise would stay in the shadows during the first stage of the operation-finding out the moods and views of Hogwarts students. On top of the obvious safety reasons, the four of them had been too tainted by the Light and Dark sides respectively to even attempt drawing out their fellow classmates. Therefore it was Luna and Ernie who began a laborious task of probing the dispositions of Hogwarts population.

Being considered to be relatively neutral in the war they quickly recruited Daphne Greengrass and Dean Thomas to have representatives of all four houses and then got support of Justin Finch-Fletchley who coming from a rich aristocratic background would have been a type of muggle-born the pureblood would have an easier way of accepting. The latter suggestion came from Daphne and caused a very hostile reception from both Hermione and Harry but they were outvoted by Draco, Blaise, Ernie and Luna.

And it was not the only disagreement they had. Hermione had always known that the Slytherins were used to fight dirty. It was one of the reason she wanted Draco on their side. But to know something and to witness it with your own eyes were two different things.

The first shock came when Draco showed up with four wands and handed it to Harry, Hermione, Ernie and Luna. When asked by Harry why they needed different wands, the Slytherin stated calmly, that all their wands could be monitored by the Ministry and when casting dark spells, it was not the most convenient feature. The wands that Malfoy brought were free from tracing spells and obviously acquired on the black market, though nobody dared to ask where and how the Slytherin got them.

When they got their new wands Draco split them into two groups and together with Blaise delivered a very condensed introductory course into Dark Arts. These classes continued with Draco tutoring Harry and Hermione, and Blaise taking care of Luna and Ernie. Hermione quickly started to suspect that the split was not random and that Harry and her were being given more intense and detailed training. When she questioned Draco about it, the Slytherin did not bother to deny she was right and without showing any signs of unease explained that one should never give away all the secrets in case of possible betrayal.

Hermione felt outraged but her boyfriend remained unmoved and simply assured her that he trusted her completely. Potter needed to learn as much as possible to have a chance of success against the Dark Lord but Ernie and Luna were different and he would always keep a few spells up his sleeve that could give him an advantage in case things went wrong. Such distrust to even closest allies made Hermione sick, but deep down she knew that Draco was just being careful, which in their case meant being also really Slytherin.

Her Gryffindor nature was rebelling against such attitudes but she was sensible enough to realise that they were necessary in the times of war. However, her practicality was put to the test when Harry and her had discovered that Draco and Blaise had been secretly monitoring the conversations with other student that Ernie and Luna conducted on behalf of UAW.

When confronted about it the two Slytherins acted completely unperturbed, which led to a major fight between Draco and Harry. The Boy-Who-Lived accused the Slytherin of being a paranoid egoistic bastard, and declared that one had to trust friends that were fighting on his side. The Malfoy heir retorted that one had to be careful whom he called "friends" and that he'd rather be paranoid than dead and was not about to trust his life into the hands of two people he knew so little about.

Hermione tried to intervene between the two but without much luck. In the middle of it all Fleur and Gabriele had shown up and fuelled the row by openly announcing that they had been monitoring the general moods of Hogwarts students using their Veela's talents of empathy. To Hermione it sounded a lot like surveillance which was such a hot ethical topic in the Muggle world. Harry agreed with her and declared that it was a low thing to do. His accusation was definitely directed at Draco who did not even bother to deny that the Delacour sisters acted on his request.

This time Hermione really feared that her boyfriend and her best friend were going to kill each other on the spot. Harry's eyes were blazing with green fire and Draco's face turned even more pale than usual. It seemed that Fleur had the same fear since both girls positioned themselves directly into the line of fire preventing any hexes to be exchanged.

What saved the situation was the intervention of Blaise and Gabriele. They helped cool down the tempers and then the Slytherin suggested that Harry and Draco went flying together. Initially Hermione thought it was a crazy idea, but both boys were surprisingly keen on it. They did go flying a few days later and it became a turning point in UAW. Though both of them remained as different as day and night, they seemed to find a way to work together without constantly being at each others throats.

So they continued as before, the training that Hermione and Harry received became more and more difficult. And to Hermione's frustration she had discovered that even her magic had limits. At certain types of spells, she just did not have enough raw power to make them work. All that was left for her was to sit and watch in awe as Harry and Draco commanded huge amounts of magic making the air around them crackle.

Sometimes she wondered who between the two was more powerful? So far Draco often had an upper hand but that was because he was trained better and had more control over his magic. But Harry was improving dramatically and she was not sure for how long Draco would be able to win in their improvised duels.

XXXX

Hermione's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Draco and Blaise. Both Slytherins looked grim and Blaise immediately started whispering warming charms, being an Italian and hating the cold weather with a passion.

"Why did you want to meet?" Ernie was the first to speak up.

He directed his questions to Draco and everybody turned to the blond Slytherin. The Malfoy heir stayed silent for a minute and when Ernie was about to repeat his question spoke up.

"I wanted to discuss our progress so far," he said calmly. "We've been exploring the support to UAW within Hogwarts for the last month. It's time to take stock of what we have achieved and set up new targets and perhaps change our strategy," he looked at the five people around the table. "Any objections?"

Everybody simply shook their heads and Draco nodded. "Granger, would you mind?"

Hermione picked up her list. "We have sorted the student population of Hogwarts into 3 groups: those that are members of UAW, which currently sits at about forty including the six of us, those who are supporting the idea but did not volunteer to become members –by far the largest group of seventy, and those who either were hostile and were obliviated or were not interviewed all together based on the list that we all agreed on - in total fifty students. All numbers are for fourth years and above." She closed her notes and looked around.

"I think this is not bad," Ernie volunteered his opinion.

"But not great either," Harry's voice sounded glum.

"Do we know why people who support the idea, won't join the organisation?" Luna asked.

"Because they are tired and scared of secret organisations and don't see how another one would make any difference to them personally," Blaise replied.

"And how do you know that, Zabini? You weren't even present during the discussions." Ernie was definitely feeling the need to defend their achievement.

Harry and Hermione exchanged uncomfortable glances but the Italian just raised a perfectly arched eyebrow, "I can put two and two together, McMillan," his voice sounded bored and Hermione was about to intervene in order to avoid a fight but Draco bit her to it.

"I think we achieved everything we could have achieved while staying completely underground," he stated. "It's time to change our approach and go public."

His announcement took everyone by complete surprise. "Go public?" Hermione repeated.

"Yes," Draco replied, "Oh, don't look at me like I've gone insane. I am not suggesting marching into the Great Hall and announcing that we set up UAW. I firmly plan on keeping my identity secret. But what we'll need to do is launch UAW and do it in style." He turned to Ernie, "What it the biggest obstacle in your opinion to people joining UAW?"

Ernie stayed silent for a moment and then spoke up carefully choosing his words, "They don't see how UAW is going to make their situation better, they think that participating would only put themselves and their family in danger without getting anything in return. UAW has no track record whereas the Order and Death Eaters obviously do."

Malfoy nodded his head and turned to Luna, "And what is the general mood among Hogwarts students?"

The blond Ravenclaw tilted her head, her eyes becoming distant as she concentrated, "Fear and anger," she murmured, "fear at what the future is going to bring and anger at being powerless to do anything."

Again the blond Slytherin nodded, "I agree with both of you," he said, "but I also want to add a further observation. Another feeling very prevalent at Hogwarts at the moment is mistrust. Students don't know with whom they can be honest; prejudice is at all time high. Have you noticed that there are no inter-house friendships or relationships? There is less talking during meals in the Great Hall."

"And what do you suggest we do about that?" Harry piped in.

"I suggest we organise a masquerade Christmas ball," Draco replied choosing to ignore a sarcastic note in Harry's voice.

His announcement was followed by the deadly silence. Hermione was the first to interrupt it, "And what purpose would that serve?" she enquired carefully.

Draco smiled coolly, "Firstly, it would cheer everybody up, which in view of coming Christmas of Doom and Gloom, we could do with. Secondly, the masquerade would mean that people, who don't normally mix together, would do so. The masks could be charmed to stay on till the end of the night. No house colours or symbols would be allowed. And when the ball ends and identities are revealed I would bet that most of the people would end up not with those that they had planned to be, which could be a first step in breaking the barriers between houses at Hogwarts. Thirdly, it would give us a perfect setting to announce UAW with a bit of glamour and racket, pulling a fast one on our Headmaster and the Dark Lord and have a crowd in which it would be easy to disappear unnoticed."

His words made sense to Hermione except for one point and she was glad when Luna asked the next question. "And how would a masquerade is "pulling a fast one" on You-Know-Who?"

Draco waived his hand, "The Dark Lord hates Christmas, never celebrates it and it irks him when others do. And in the time like this, when the whole wizardian world is cowering in fear of him, just as he likes it, a celebration in Hogwarts would piss him off no end."

Harry's expression remained doubtful and Draco rolled his eyes, "You disagree with me, Potter?"

The Gryffindor shrugged his shoulders, "No," he replied, "Your idea is good. But I am not sure it's enough to change the opinions of the undecided. UAW needs to gain respect of the wizardian world and, I think, a ball isn't going to do it."

"And what would?" Blaise asked.

Harry shrugged, "I don't know, maybe if we could do something against Voldermot…"

"That's what the Order does," the Slytherin interrupted impatiently. "We can't be seen doing the same thing as the Order. It would negate the whole concept of UAW."

"But people must realise that at the moment, Voldermot is the ultimate evil that should be fought," Harry exclaimed losing patience. "Because no one is safe while he's still around."

"And you think they have not heard it all before?!" Draco lips twisted into a sarcastic smile, "Answer me this then. Why there are so few members of the Order? Let's put aside Purebloods, who have "all the reasons" to support the Dark Lord. There is so many families in the wizardian world that have or had in the past a Muggle born in their ranks? If they cared so much about destroying the Dark Lord, they could have swamped Death Eaters with the shire numbers. But they don't. Most of them keep out of this war or support the Dark Lord."

"Oh, stop calling him that," Harry demanded, "He is a psychotic power hungry murderer by the name of Tom Riddle, not the freaking King."

"And, of course, not calling him the Dark Lord would make all the difference."

Draco's tone was acid and Hermione shot him a warning glance, at the same time kicking Harry's foot under the table. She did not want to go into another argument especially in front of Ernie and Luna. Her actions had an affect and Harry bit down a retort and Draco's face returned to its usual blank demeanour.

"The point I was trying to make," he continued calmer, "was that most of the half bloods are at first and foremost wizards, they love wizardian way of living, a pureblood family usually absorbs a muggle-born into their midst and this person often stops all connections with the Muggle world. Their children are brought up as Wizards. That's why wizardian world is so conservative and set in its ways. We assimilate Muggleborns into our midst to the point that they forget that they were once Muggleborns." The Slytherin paused and leaned back in his seat. When he spoke again his voice sounded tired, "That's why _He_ is so successful. And that's what we are fighting against. We need to tread very carefully if we want to draw halfbloods away from Death Eaters. UAW can't be seen being too close to the Order."

Silence followed his words and for a second Hermione worried that Harry would object again but her worries were proved unfounded when the green eyed boy looked around the table. "Well, then the ball it is," he said.

"Masquerade ball," Luna corrected and twirled in her seat. Her light voice eased the tensions in the room "We should pick a nice theme. How about Ancient Civilizations?"

"Ancient Civilizations?" Ernie looked curious.

"Yes," Luna's voice sounded really excited. "Daddy has a Muggle history book about it. Looks fascinating and men sometimes wear short skirts…"

The horror pictured on the Ernie's face made everybody laugh. "You can also wear a toga, McMillan," Blaise assured him, "No need to panic."

Relief on Ernie's face was almost as funny as his previous expression of alarm. "That's settled then," Draco concluded and turned to Hermione. "It would be up to you to convince the Headmaster. If any of us," he nodded to himself and Blaise, "come up with such suggestion, he'll get all suspicious."

Hermione smiled at him, just remembering in time to keep her demeanour cool, "Consider it's done. I'll talk with him about the House Unity."

**Sorry for the delay. This is the next chapter. Next one will be the Christmas ball and I promise lots of action. **

**Please review**


	24. Chapter 22

Hi there. Firstly I want to say really sorry for such delay in updating. I had a major writers block and had been writing this chapter for over 2 months. I am still not sure it's good enough but if I don't publish it now I don't think I ever will. So please be kind. Reviews are very welcome.

Chapter 24

Hermione gave herself one last look in the mirror and muttered a silent prayer. She was not asking for something specific; Merlin knew - too many things had to go right for this evening to be successful for them. So her quiet plea was a general one: that the Powers that Be had sent their blessing her way.

Taking a deep breath she squared her shoulders and picked up a heavy brown robe that was lying on the chair. It was identical to almost 200 hooded robes that had been delivered to Hogwarts for the Masquerade ball with the sole purpose of keeping the costumes of the students secret. The robes were to be worn hoods down from the moment one put his or her costume on, all the way to the Great hall where they would be discarded. The masks would stay put till the end of the ball.

These rules were Hermione's creation. After she convinced Dumbledore that overall moral of the students in general and Harry's mood in particular would benefit from a light hearted evening where there would be no division into Houses and blood lines, the Headmaster had given her an almost free reign in organising the ball as long as the Heads of Houses agreed and the Head Boy and Girl were kept informed.

The latter was not a problem since the Head Boy and Girl were too busy making out. As for the Heads of Houses, Professors Sprout and Flitwick were only too happy to help, with the Head of Hufflepuffs promising to deliver a large number of beautiful flowers for decorations of the Great Hall and the Head of Ravenclaws charming all the masks to stay firmly in place.

Professor McGonagall, however, proved to be more difficult. The elderly witch did not like the idea of an Ancient civilisation theme, deeming it too frivolous. Hermione decided that this was not a battle worth fighting and agreed to change the theme to a general one without sticking to a particular epoch. This had disappointed Luna who was hoping to see both Draco and Harry in the costumes of Roman Legionnaires.

The most help, however, came from Snape, who had come up with a potion that Harry through Dobby had introduced into Hogwarts kitchens on the morning when the masquerade ball was announced. The potion was a tweaked mild variety of a tied-tongue brew that urged whoever took it to keep secret new information received when they consumed it. It was not going to be effective on everyone but, combined with the Headmasters urging not to divulge the details of the costumes, it would ensure that most students would not disclose their masquerade identities even to close friends.

With the official part of the ball sorted Hermione and the rest of UAW Council could start preparing for going public. After a lot of brainstorming and arguments they finally decided on a combination of magic and muggle technology, which hopefully would give them enough time to explain their message before somebody interfered.

They have rehearsed over and over and checked every little detail but Hermione could not get over a bad feeling in her stomach. Everything was going too smoothly...

It did not help matter that she was also worried sick about Draco. Over the last weeks he had been summoned to Voldermot several times and so was Blaise. Thank Merlin, neither of them came back hurt. But Hermione could feel tension mounting. The blond Slytherin became colder, more withdrawn. They spent very little time with just the two of them. Of course there were objective reasons for that but she could not shake the feeling that he was avoiding her.

A giggle from outside her booth interrupted her thoughts and she took a deep breath trying to combat her nerves. There was no point fretting anymore. Everything was in place and they were committed. She just had to concentrate on getting her part right and pray for the best.

XXXXX

When Hermione had arrived to the Great Hall, she found that it was already full of people. She made her way through the crowd admiring the lavish decorations that she had helped putting together. Just as for the Yule ball, Hogwarts Great Hall was transformed into a beautiful ballroom with floating candles, suspended flower arrangements, sparkling fountains and tables laden with delicious food and drink. The music was already playing though nobody yet was dancing, people preferring to mingle and eat creating a nice buzz of excitement.

Hermione made her way to the table with food and picked a glass of butterbeer. She took a couple of sips looking around making sure that nobody was paying particular attentions to her and raised her hand to her neck gripping the Link Pendant. She concentrated for a moment and waited. It did not take long.

"My Lady," she heard from her right. Hermione turned around and saw a Roman Patrician approaching her. She had to admit that she would have preferred to see Draco in something more tightly fitted but she knew his reasons behind the costume. He bowed to her and she responded with a light curtsey. "You look beautiful," his voice sounded husky and even with his mask on, she could see his eyes drinking in her appearance. She could not hide a satisfied smile; her efforts did not go in vain.

Being too busy with the preparations she left picking her costume quite late and did not have much choice when she finally got to Hogsmeade. However, when she saw the dress of the Saxon Princess, she was smitten. The light blue dress that had tight fitting sleeves and body and a long flowing hem was covered by rich burgundy coloured overdress robes made of heavy silk. The outfit came with a see-through veil that matched the colour of the overdress and a thin golden hoop that held it in place. When she tried it on, she could not stop herself from staring at her reflexion in the mirror. She looked beautiful, feminine and elegant. It was just what she wanted - an outfit that would be appropriate both in the muggle and wizardian worlds. Now she got a confirmation from Draco that her choice was right.

"Thank you," she replied warmly, "You look good yourself."

In response he just bowed lightly and stretched his hand to her. "Care for a dance?"

Hermione shook her head. "I don't think it would be wise. Nobody is dancing yet, we would stand out!"

"So what?" he shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "The whole point of this masquerade is that you can do things without standing out!" With these words he took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles. Still bent over her hand he lifted his eyes and spoke so that his breathe tickled her skin, "It's going to be a while till I am able to dance with you in public again and I'd like to enjoy the time we have now."

Draco straitened out and led her to the dance floor. Hermione could feel the eyes on them but when he pulled her closer she forgot about everything. He was right, they had never had a chance to be together in front of other people. This was the closest that they had and would get to being a couple for the foreseeable future. And she was going to enjoy it.

They were not the only dancing couple for long; their example seemed to spur others into action. Once the dance floor filled up Draco pulled her closer to his body and both relished the feeling. Hermione stared into his eyes that were still sparkling through the slits in his mask. Her heart flattered with the abundance of feelings and clenched with fear. This moment she was ready to call everything off, just to keep Draco away from putting himself into the harm's way.

"Stop thinking," she heard his whisper near her ear, "Everything will be fine."

"You promise?" she could not stop herself from asking though she always hated displaying such cliché sign weakness and knew perfectly well that he was not in the position to answer her.

"I promise," he replied and for a second she felt relief wash over her. She nestled herself back into his arms and they continued to dance, for once not thinking about the outside world, the need to be careful and pretend that they did not care for each other. They simply were enjoying moving into the rhythm of music, the chatter around them and the beautiful decorations of the Great Hall.

When the dance floor got too crowded they went to the tables and got some food. The ball was in full swing and Hermione once again thought that it was an excellent idea. It had been so long since they had a celebration of any kind and especially one when the whole school was participating. After Quidditch, parties were always one sided and end of the year feast were always tainted by the announcement of the House Cup winners.

XXXX

Draco was firmly enjoying himself. Hermione was wrapped in his arms and he could feel waves of emotions emanating from her. They were all the things that he came to associate with being with her: warmth, love and devotion. They made every moment with her precious and he could not name anything else in the world that made him so happy.

But today her emotions were tainted with fear and concern. He knew that she was worried about him and tried to alleviate her anxiety but without much success. And she did not even know the complete truth on what he was planning. He quickly pushed the thought away. Through their bond Hermione and himself could sense each others feelings pretty well and it took him a lot of effort to hide things from her over the past three weeks. He even had to limit the amount of time they spent together. Fortunately she was fairly new to the Occlumency skills and had not had the chance to explore all the aspects of bonding. In order to change his train of thought he tightened his arms around the Gryffindor girl.

"Granger, stop stressing out," he whispered in her ear knowing full well that she hated when he called her by her surname. And when she gave him a heated look laughed, "I can still call you Granger, you know. Until you officially become a Malfoy." Without letting her to respond he pulled her onto the dance floor firmly planning to enjoy the last few hours of the ball.

XXXXXX

All too quickly for Hermione's liking it was midnight. The lead singer of the Weird Sisters, stepped forward and announced that it was going to be the last song and then it was time for the show put up by Hogwarts students for the entertainment of their friends and colleagues.

It was Luna's idea to disguise the launch of UAW as a student performance thus reducing the risk of being stopped by the teachers too early. They called it Kaleidoscope of magic and if everything went according to plan, it would be the one act that would change the course of the night.

As the rest of people were enjoying the last song, Draco and Hermione moved to the back of the Hall to one of the large pillars that was positioned directly opposite the centre of the stage. They stood together for no more than a minute when a medieval monk approached them.

"The night is over," he said in Harry's voice.

"On the opposite, it's just beginning," Draco replied.

He turned to Hermione and bent down to give her a quick kiss. "Everything will be fine, trust me," his grey eyes bored into hers for a second and he squeezed her hand, "remember, whatever happens, stick to the plan." With these words he turned around and both him and Harry disappeared.

A few minutes later the music had ended. The stage magically emptied from the instruments and instead a big white screen appeared in front of it. Muggle students quickly recognised it as a cinema screen. The beam shot up from the back of the Hall projecting the title: Kaleidoscope of Magic.

Very quickly the images of famous witches and wizards from different epochs, different cultures started to appear on the screen. Then the screen became transparent revealing two male figures standing behind it. They were both tall, dressed in black trousers and shirts, faces covered with masks.

"_This is just a show, and participants and viewers would not be subjected to any danger."_

an impassive voice announced making already puzzled viewers jump.

Just as the words were spoken the classical music filled the hall and the two figures came to life. When they bowed to each other and got their wands out the crowd gasped. The next moment the two wizards became a flurry of movement. Hexes and shields were exchanges, both men ducked, jumped and glided. Fire and wind, ice and water –all the elements were involved. It was a beautiful sight as much as it was terrifying - a dance and a battle, beautifully choreographed and extremely deadly.

Hermione watched with baited breath as Draco and Harry continued with their show. She had seen them practicing many times but now, accompanied by the gasps and exclamations of the audience, she realised how powerful they really were. Though they both were identically dressed wearing same masks and sporting similarly dark hair colour, she could easily distinguish one from the other.

Just as the battle was reaching an apogee, a masked figure in white rushed in between the fighters. It was a blond girl, wearing a beautiful princess-like dress. A red and green curse from both men flew towards her and then the scene froze and a deep voice spoke up.

"_This is a world long conflict of duty and love. _

_What can be the reason this time? _

_Is it money, religion or politics? _

_Or maybe one is pureblood and another a Muggleborn?_

The voice paused for a moment and then continued.

_Does it make any difference? _

_If she dies, they will never forgive themselves. _

_If she lives but one of them dies, she would hate the other for the rest of her life."_

The top of the screen turned white again and three graphs appeared on it, showing the rapidly diminishing numbers of wizards and witches in the world and the births of pureblood and Muggleborns with the latter out numbering the former by 30 per cents.

Not it was a female voice that spoke up.

"_The wizardian world is slowly dying. _

_There are too few wizardian children being born and even less of them are magically powerful. _

_Muggleborns outnumber us 10 to 1. _

_We can't survive without them and our job is to preserve Wizardian way of living. _

_That is our only chance for survival._

_We can't afford infighting so let's join forces. _

_United Association of Wizards!!! _

_Accept, Assimilate, Preserve."_

The next moment the screen disappeared in smock but the sparkling letter remained and floated in mid air.

"_**United Association of Wizards!**_

_**Accept, Assimilate, Preserve"**_

Hermione held her breath as on stage Luna, Draco and Harry moved again forming a triangle with the Ravenclaw girl in the middle.

"I accept," Luna's voice sounded crisp as she pulled out her wand and raised it in the air, a small flame erupting from the tip.

The audience had gone deadly quiet.

"I accept," Harry next to her repeated her move.

It was now Hermione's turn. She raised her wand and shouted:

"I accept," the flame from her wand grew and formed a beautiful arch with the two figures standing on the stage.

Everybody swirled towards her as she was the first one to speak out from the crowd but she did not remain the only one for long.

"I accept," came from her left as more and more voices started to repeat the same word and lighting up their wands, each flame linking to the arch that was glowing in the Great Hall.

For a moment Hermione felt very proud. Their tactic had paid off. They had read a number of books on muggle political campaigns and watched every political broadcast they could get their hands on. Wizardian politics was very different from the Muggle. It was done behind closed doors and through campaigns in the papers. The power of the visual image was not something that was used and that what they decided to bank on and it seemed to be paying off. The audience was buzzing with gasps and exclamation, people swirling their heads from one shout to another.

Too soon for her liking the noise was drowned in a roar, "That's enough," Dumbledore's voice echoed in the room. His wand was aimed at the stage and Hermione gripped hers. She did not hear the Headmaster's spell but she could feel its effects. Her wand was vibrating but she held on to it and Dumbledore's spell dissipated into light sparks being neutralised by the invisible shield created by the fire arches.

Now it was Draco's turn. "I accept," he shouted and his calm voice reverberated in the Hall. "But I know that a lot of you have doubts. And in order to prove to you that UAW is serious about its beliefs, here is a little gesture of confidence.

Tomorrow morning most of you are planning to board Hogwarts Express to go home for the holidays. What you don't know is that Death Eaters are planning an attack on the train to kill as many Muggleborn students as they can. That's their plan anyway but in reality it never works like this. The Aurors and the Order of the Phoenix would not be far behind. There will be a battle and half-blood and pureblood students would be at risk as well."

Hermione could not breath; this was not what they agreed on! Draco was supposed to talk about the ball organised by UAW. He never even mentioned the attack?!

"Keep you concentration up, Miss Granger," a velvety voice hissed in her ear and to her surprise Hermione felt a warm hard body pressed behind her. "I accept," Snape's voice was merely a whisper but the flame from his wand joint the arch she was holding and she momentarily felt a flow of powerful magic. And it was just in time. Dumbledore had figured out that the fire arch was creating a shield around those who were linked to it and was trying to break it. The other Professors had joint the Headmaster in his efforts. The combined force of UAW supporters was enough to keep them at bay for now but Hermione was not sure how long they were going to hold off the attack.

In the meantime Draco continued.

"UAW does not want another blood bath but neither do we want Death Eaters to be caught by the Ministry. It would be a waste of magic which we can't afford. So instead we have created multiple portkeys - each of the masks you are wearing is one and will take you all to the Diagon Alley where your relatives will be ready to collect you. Muggleborns will be escorted to just outside the Leaky Cauldron."

With every word he spoke the crowd became more noisy, people started to shout, but Draco magically raised his voice.

"These arrangements have been done by UAW just as this ball had been, to show you that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that there is another way, a middle ground between Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix.

And we ask you to think about what we've said. Our aim is for the magical world to survive and grow from strength to strength. We will need your help and we will promise in return that all we want is peace and prosperity for wizards and witches. And we will fight for this with any means necessary.

Now go home safely. Enjoy your holidays and remember.

Accept Assimilate Preserve.

United Association of Wizards."

The next moment he waved his wand and the Great Hall plunged into darkness. Before the panic could set in the light came back and the masks had fallen into the hands of their owners. The Hogwarts students were staring in the faces of those they spend the evening with.

Theodore Nott was holding hands with the Muggleborn Hannah Abbot. Justin Finch-Fletchley had one arm around Pansy Parkinson. Ernie McMillan stood next to Millicent Bullstrode and Gregory Goyle to Susan Bones. But nothing caused more whispers than the close proximity of Draco Malfoy and Luna Lovegood, Hermione Granger and Blaise Zabini and Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass.

For a minute everybody was taking in the scenes around them but before the shock could be replaced by other emotion, the portkeys started to get activated and students disappeared one by one.

XXXX

Harry, Hermione, Luna, Blaise, Ernie and Draco reappeared in a private room in a Leaky Cauldron.

For a second they stared at each other. Ernie was the first to speak up.

"What the hell was that?" he asked looking around the group, his eyes finally stopping on Draco and Harry.

The latter narrowed his eyes at the blond Slytherin, "I think we should ask him!" The Boy-Who-Lived took a step forward, his lips twisting into a humourless smile, "Malfoy, I think you have some explaining to do!"


	25. Chapter 23

Hi All. Here is a new chapter. Reviews are very welcome.

_Previously… "Malfoy, I think you have some explaining to do!"_

Chapter 23

All eyes were focused on him and Draco inwardly sighed. He hated explaining himself but knew he would not get out of it this time. "What do you want to know, Potter?" he asked in a bored voice.

Harry gritted his teeth, "We want to know what happened," he grounded out trying to compose himself. His resolve, however, did not last long and he abandoned his attempts of staying calm, blurting out the next words in a rant. "While announcing UAW you were supposed to talk about the ball, Hogwarts division into Houses, and that magic was just magic, not to be divided into a light and a dark one. That was what we agreed on. But instead, you went off and announced an attack on Hogwarts Express and then portkeyed the whole school to the Diagon Alley. And we want to know, firstly, if the attack is true and if it is, why, the hell, had not you told us beforehand?"

Under the accusatory tone, the Slytherin's expressions hardened and his mouth turned into a thin line. In the moments like this Draco really wanted to curse himself into oblivion for ever agreeing to work with Gryffindors in general and Potter in particular. He shot a covert glance at Hermione and saw her staring at him intently, her expression forcibly blank. All he wanted was to talk to her without all these people around but that would have to wait. He sighed inwardly and tried to keep his rising temper under control.

"The information about the attack is true," he replied curtly, "and the reason I talked about it was because you had been right, Potter." He paused enjoying the effects of his words on the audience and the startled look on the Gryffindor's face. "You were right," he continued, "when you said that a ball would not be enough to sway people's opinions. A little show of magic and a speech about what's wrong with Hogwarts rules and perceptions were all nice and well but it would not deliver the impact we needed."

Ernie was about to interrupt but the Slytherin lifted his hand, "No, let me finish. We are trying to fight hundreds of years of traditions and prejudice. We are also going against established powers that had ruled the wizardian world for many decades and on top of it all we are pressed for time. So in order to get anywhere, we had to deliver a bombshell and that's what this announcement did. Tomorrow it will be in all the papers, it will be discussed in every living room and when we go in trying to get support for UAW, we would stand a much better chance." He stopped for a second and then looked straight at Hermione. "And the reason I did not tell you all about it was because we could not risk somebody else finding out."

A momentary silence followed his words.

"Are you implying that one of us is a traitor?" Ernie exclaimed his face quickly turning bright red, "How dare you!"

Draco rolled his eyes, "I am not implying anything, McMillan. It's a simple fact that some of us are not just members of UAW," his gaze turned to Hermione and Harry. "And I did not want them to start questioning where their primary loyalties lay."

Harry could not keep his mouth shut any longer, "So you basically did not tell us about Voldermot's plan to attack Hogwarts Express, because you were scared we were going to tell the Order?!" he shouted.

"What did you expect, Potter?" Draco retorted sharply. "I knew you would have wanted to tell Dumbledore and as I explained earlier, the Order would have wanted to capture as many Death Eaters as possible, it would have been another blood bath. And UAW would have achieved nothing!!!"

"But they were planning on killing innocent students," Harry yelled, "they deserved to be captured. And what you did just helped them escape so they could maim and kill somewhere else."

Draco's face turned stone cold, "That's exactly why I did not tell you, Potter. This is where you and me are different. You see the whole war as black and white but I am not a Gryffindor and nor am I a member of the Order of the Phoenix. My aim is to bring peace and prosperity to the wizardian world. With any means necessary. That's what I agreed to with you and Granger when we started this whole thing. I did not promise to be a spy for the Order and I did not promise to deliver Death Eaters to the Ministry on a silver platter. So please spare me your rightful indignation."

He glared at Harry who returned his gaze just as heatedly and was about to retort, when Hermione stopped him.

"That's enough, Harry," she said quietly. And when he gave her a shocked look added hastily, "We don't have time for this conversation, at least not now, we need to join the others before we are missed and people start asking questions. We'll meet later and can have all discussions we want, but not now." She pulled out of her pocket six coins, "These are our personalised portkeys, they won't work for anybody else and will be able to take us to only one place, a flat in Muggle London. Tomorrow night, 11 pm."

She quickly distributed the coins, avoiding looking at either Draco or Harry.

"What kind of flat is it?" Blaise asked.

"It's my grandmother's," Ernie replied quickly, "She is bed ridden and I visit her quite often during the holidays. Nobody would notice us there."

Everybody nodded. "OK, then," Hermione turned to the door. "Harry and I will go first, then Ernie and Luna with Blaise and Draco being last." She turned to leave but was caught when Draco spoke up.

"Granger!" she whirled around forcing herself to look him in the face. His expression was unreadable but his eyes were fixed on her intensely. "You dropped this," he was handing her a lacy handkerchief, which had been part of her costumer.

She took it, her fingers brushing his. He was still staring at her and almost against her will she gave him a shaky smile before following Harry to the door.

Already on the stairs she opened the handkerchief and saw a tiny piece of parchment with 3 words written on it.

"_2 hours, HMV"_

XXXX

"You gotta be kidding yourself, Hermione, if you think I'll let you go on your own to meet him," Harry fumed as he sat on a bed in her room.

"Harry," she gave him an annoyed look, "it's not dangerous, I am going to talk to him and will be back within an hour."

"But what if…" he started but the Gryffindor girl interrupted him impatiently.

"Do you honestly think he would hurt me?"

Even in his rage against the Slytherin, the Boy-Who-Lived shook his head, "No…" he replied reluctantly.

"Exactly," Hermione continued with her preparations, digging out Muggle money from her purse.

"But still," her friend continued, "I mean, aren't you mad at him? He lied to us, to you, and did not even feel guilty about it."

Hermione stiffened and Harry fell silent, suddenly feeling guilty. "Sorry," he muttered.

"That's OK," she returned to her previous task. "You are right, I am mad and hurt and so many other things... But Harry, he is my soul mate! And no matter what he's done, it does not change the fact that I love him. And if he asks me to meet him, I will. Just like you would have, if it had been Fleur."

He did not have an argument against this and just watched silently as she gave herself one last look in the mirror and pocketed her wand. "Now, I am going to leave and you should go downstairs and distract Molly. Tell her I went to sleep because I was upset over what'd happened."

With these words she took off her shoes, put on an invisibility clock and left. It did not take her long to get to the HMV store. When she walked in, she saw Draco already there, he was flicking through the CDs but his eyes were glued to the entrance. When he saw her, she could see relief washing over his face.

He approached her in a few quick strides, "I am glad you came." He nodded to the Starbucks upstairs and she followed him.

"Did you really think I would not?" she asked a frown creasing her forehead.

He half turned to her his eye roaming her figure. "No," he hesitated for a moment, "but I was not completely sure."

In silence they proceed up the stairs and ordered their drinks. When they sat down, Hermione concentrated on mixing her coffee leaving it to Draco to begin the conversation. "I don't have much time," he started and when she lifted her questioning eyes to him explained, "Dumbledore and the Ministry had already started an investigation of what happened and the Dark Lord had been informed. He is furious and had ordered Severus to find out who stood behind UAW and how did they learn about his plan."

Hermione's heart sank. "How could he find out so soon?" she asked alarmed.

Draco gave her a confused look, "Because I told him."

"You?" it was Hermione's turn to look puzzled.

"Well, of course," he replied, "It was the first thing I did after getting out of the Diagon Alley. Both Blaise and I portkeyed straight to the Dark Lord's Head Quarters to report and Severus was not far behind."

Looking at her horrified face he shook his head, "Hermione, I am _his_ spy. He would have found out anyway. If I did not tell him straight away, it would only raise suspicion."

She knew that he was right but the thought that he willingly went to Voldermot, made her sick in her stomach. "So what' going to happen now?" she asked trying to push the notion out of her head.

Draco shrugged, "We continue according to our plan. And try to be extra careful."

At his words her face clouded as she remembered the reason she was here, "Well, that's a bit difficult considering most of us don't know what this plan is anymore."

For a second their eyes clashed and then his face softened, "You want an explanation why I did no tell you about the attack?"

She snorted, "How perceptive of you!" Hermione could not hide bitterness in her voice and when he raised an eyebrow at her, she exploded. "Of course, I want an explanation, Draco. I want to know why on earth did you not tell me?! I thought we were supposed to be soul mates and all."

Draco sighed, "It was not because I did not trust you," he said carefully.

"Oh, great," she could not contain her indignation, "so why was it then?! Was it because you did not want me to lie to Harry again?" Her words dripped with sarcasm, "Or were you just concerned that my honest Gryffindor soul would break from the pressure of such knowledge?"

This time he had the decency to look guilty, "It was a bit of both, I suppose," he muttered.

"Fantastic," Hermione forced a fake smile on her lips. "Now I can see how much this whole soul mate thing means to you."

"Don't say that," his grey eyes flashed.

"And why should I not?" she retorted, "You told me that we would have no secrets from each other and at the same time for the last 3 weeks you had been lying to me. You purposefully pushed me away, kept me at arms length, so I could not read your emotions and find out that you were hiding something. That's not what soul mates do. Or were you planning on always keeping it one way affair, with me pledging myself to you and you choosing when it would be convenient to be honest or when you would like to keep your privacy, thank you very much."

With every word she could see anger growing in his eyes, but she was too hurt to care.

"It's not like that and you know it," he hissed lowly. "Yes, I lied to you and yes, I kept you at arms length. But I had a good reason for that. I've seen what lying to Potter does to you. It had nearly eaten you alive until we finally told him and when he did not react favourably, you almost broken down. I did not want to put you through this again."

She was about to interrupt him, but he lifted his hand affectively stopping her, "But this is not the main reason." He paused and took a deep breath. "I did not know until the very end that the Dark Lord would buy my idea."

He was looking straight in her eyes and watched them widen when the realisation hit her. For a minute she sat speechless, her eyes fixed on his face hoping for a sign that she misunderstood him. "Your idea?" she finally found her voice again. "To attack Muggleborn students on the Hogwarts Express?"

He nodded, "Yes, I stole a list containing the names of all Muggleborn students from the Headmaster's office and passed it to the Dark Lord. And then suggested that Hogwarts Express would be the best place to get them all at once."

She felt her head spinning, her breathing became ragged as she gripped the sides of table fighting to remain calm. "Why…" she stammered, "why did you do this?"

He tried to look nonchalant but it was not easy under her gaze. His impassionate mask broke and he looked into her eyes pleading for her to understand. "Because we needed something big for the UAW launch and because I needed to get the Dark Lord off my back. He was getting more and more angry with the lack of progress in my other mission and since I was not going to deliver any time soon I had to come up with something else that would keep him occupied for a while."

For a minute she stayed silent, struggling to take everything in. It was so overwhelming that at the end she'd given up and asked the first question that was on her mind, "But Draco, what if something had gone wrong and the students did get on the Hogwarts Express?"

"I would have alerted the Order after the ball," he replied tersely.

"Giving them what, a couple of hours to prepare?" she shot and saw his face turning cold.

"No risk, no gain," his calm reply made her shiver.

"Don't you dare!" she whispered at him furiously. "We are talking about children here. Fair enough the older students could try and defend themselves but the train would be full with 1st and 2nd years. There could have been a blood bath there."

"Well, there wasn't one," he shot back. "Everything worked out fine. Everybody's is safe."

"But you did not know it would be like that."

Draco's eyes flashed with anger, "That's exactly why I did not tell you," his voice was quiet but she could hear a well hidden frustration in it. "Because you would have been all up in arms and would not let me go through with this." His cold grey eyes glittered with determination as he continued, "I warned you before that I was not going to play by your rules. Hell, it was the reason you came to me in the first place, because I was not afraid to fight dirty and take risks. I told you it would be hard and we would need to make difficult decisions. This was just the first step. There would be so many more and trust me it's only going to get worse. And I have enough on my plate already with having to fool the Dark Lord and keep Dumbledore off my back. I can't fight you as well."

TBC..


	26. Chapter 24

_Previously: "I have enough on my plate already with having to fool the Dark Lord and keep Dumbledore off my back. I can't fight you as well."_

Chapter 26

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He blurted out the last words and immediately regretted them. The naked hurt he saw in her eyes sliced through him like a knife. "Fight me?" she repeated her voice shaking.

Mentally kicking himself, Draco reached forward and grasped her hand in his. "Hermione," he started forcing himself to look straight into her chocolate eyes that were filled with a mixture of pain and rising anger. "I did not mean it like that. I…" he stopped not knowing how to continue, "I love you very much and I will trust you with my life but…"

He stopped mid sentence taken aback by the furious look she gave him, "Don't you dare," Hermione hissed, "Talk about love and trust..." She choked on her words and pulled her hand out of his.

The gesture and her words hurt him like hell and his instincts took over, his face turning into a usual blank mask as he casually leaned back in his seat, "What I was going to say," he continued as if she did not interrupt him, "was that we are from very different backgrounds and beliefs. You are goody-two-shoes Gryffindor and I am a Slytherin and a Malfoy. I don't have your morale code and I never will.

In another situation it would not be that bad but we are in the middle of a war when the borders between good and evil are blurred and stakes are so high that people's lives become pawns in the fight for the ultimate prize. And I firmly intend to win this battle and will have to do it the only way I know how, which means taking risks, lying, fighting sometimes a dirty game and be as much of a cunning, ruthless Slytherin as people think I am."

He paused and searched her face in hope of finding a sign that she understood what he was really trying to say, as she so often did, reading between the lines and sparing him the need of baring his soul that he so much hated to do. But her face looked as unreadable as his own and he resigned to the fact that she would not make it easy for him this time. Her next words confirmed his suspicion.

"If you think, you'd shocked me by your confession, Draco, then I am sorry to disappoint you," her voice was cool and he inwardly winced. "As you said yourself, I knew when I asked for your help in this war, that you would be very much a Slytherin in your methods." She gave him a smirk that would very much rival his own and continued, "And I am prepared to compromise on that. But I am not prepared to compromise when it comes to our relationship. So I want you to explain to me now why you lied to me about your plans. And don't tell me that it was to protect me and make your life easier. Because both of us know that it's not the main reason!"

She watched his expression like a hock, trying to notice any changes that would give her a clue. His eyes flashed for a second and then narrowed. "Don't push me, Hermione," he did not bother to hide warning tones in his silky voice.

"And why not?" she asked arching her eyebrow, gathering her Gryffindor courage. "You said yourself that you loved me and trusted me completely. Why then would not you tell me the truth? If it concerns me I think I have the right to know!"

For a moment they both stared at each other as their gazes battled and this time she won. "Very well," he replied, his voice unusually terse, "I'll tell you." And without skipping a bit continued, "Remember, when I said, that in magic everything comes at a price?" He looked at her expectantly and she nodded assuring him that she remembered that part. "When you initiated the bond I had a choice of completing or aborting the whole thing. At that point I held all the power: it was my decision, not yours. That power came with a price…" He paused and his lips twisted into a cruel smile, "Now that the bond is complete, you are the one who can break it. It won't be easy, would hurt like hell and it almost never happens…But you have that ability and I don't. My Veela heritage would stop me from ever separating from you."

Hermione just stared at him. The information came as a surprise to her, something she had never thought about. She cursed herself from not finding out more about Veela's mating procedures. It was so unlike her to skip on her research but she had been so busy with other things that she had just let it slip. And she was paying the price now, having no clue on where he was going with his explanation. Her face must have shown her confusion and it made his hard exterior soften.

Draco sighed and rubbed his face with his hands, all over sudden feeling very tired. It was now or never. If he did not want to lose her, he had to tell her the exact truth. But that would mean openly confessing to one fear that truly scared the life out of him. Admitting such vulnerability went completely against his nature and upbringing, and his inner voice was screaming at him that he should never expose his weakness to another person, even if this person was his life's soul mate.

Draco pushed that voice to the back of his mind and looked her straight in the eyes not even attempting to hide the inward turmoil he was in, ""Gods, Hermione, don't you see?" he asked in a whisper. "There is only one thing that makes me doubt myself and it is that at some point my actions will cause you to turn away from me. I can't compete with Potter," his face turned bitter, "the saviour of the Wizardian world, a saint and a martyr. And I don't want to. But he is your best friend and has been your best friend for the last 5 years. While I have been your bitter enemy." He paused for a second and then forced himself to continue, his eyes boring into hers as if he was trying to penetrate her soul. "My worst nightmare is that at some point you would have to choose between Potter and me and bonded or not you might choose him and that would be the end of me."

His voice dropped even lower as he willed himself to continue. "Being with you is what keeps me sane and sound. Your love and support, your advice and your ideas, is what keeps me safe and helps me through all the dark deeds of this war. I am not a nice person, I never tried to be one. I fight dirty, I don't like to play by the rules. But being with you keeps me from straying away from the right pass too far and becoming one of them. And for that I am eternally grateful to you and… Call me selfish, but I need this in my life. And I would do whatever it takes to keep you in it."

His words stung her… She did not know how it was possible for him to be so sweet and so harsh at the same time. He was literally pouring his soul to her, which she thought he would never do but he was also sticking a knife in her back by doubting her love to him. Had not he learnt anything in the last five months?! Had he not realised that when it came to him, there was no power in the world able to force her to turn away from him.

She fought really hard to stop tears falling from her eyes, taking several deep breaths trying to regain some semblance of control. And just as she was about to open her mouth a thought hit her. His words rang in her head, "Bonded or not… It would be the end of me…" He could not… Could not be meaning… The words failed her but by the way her face expressed extreme distress, he guessed her train of thoughts and quickly shook his head.

"I am not a full Veela, Hermione. I won't die, just lose the ability to be happy."

At this she was gulping more air into her lungs desperately fighting a lump in her throat. But she was not a Gryffindor for nothing. She won that battle and regained her ability to speak.

"Over the last 24 hours," she started and felt him tense, "all I thought about was how I wished I had never started my plan to turn you to the light side… Because it puts you in so much danger. If it was not too late, I would have told you to cancel the whole thing. To hell with UAW, the Order and this war… The only thing that stopped me was that I was fighting next to you, helping you, protecting you. And if we won, it would make your life better, safer and we could be together without hiding from anyone… And then when you changed the plan, and announced the attack, I felt that it was all out of my control. I had no idea what was going on and felt useless…" He was about to interrupt but she did not let him. "What you need to understand, Draco, is that I know that you are not a knight in white shinning armour. I accepted it long time ago. But for me you are my Dark Knight, the one whom I love so deeply and who loves me back… And it hurts me, it hurts me more than I can explain that after everything we've been through, everything we've shared you still think about me firstly as a Gryffindor, then as Harry's friend and only afterwards your soul mate…"

At this she lost her battle with emotions and bolted towards the toilets not wanting him to see her fall apart completely. The Ladies was occupied and she rushed into the disabled toilet locking the door behind her. There she opened a tap trying to wash away her tears with cold water but the moment she glanced at herself in the mirror her face scrunched up, fresh tears rolling out of her eyes.

In her distress she did not even hear the door open. The warm body pressed behind her as she was pulled into a strong embrace. "I am sorry," he whispered in her ear. "I am so-so sorry for not being honest with you... For doubting you... I was scared and selfish. I… Merlin, Hermione, I will do anything, anything at all to make you happy, to make it up to you …"

She sniffled and leaned back against him relishing the feeling of his closeness, watching his blond hair mixing with her brown one as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. God, she loved him so much… If only he would believe her… "Please, Draco…" her whisper was barely audible "Don't ever doubt us…" His head shot up and he stared at her reflection in the mirror. "If you truly love me, you've got to trust me… Not just with you life, but with your heart…"

She took a shuddering breath and was about to continue when he turned her to him in one swift move and his lips came down on hers. It only lasted a few seconds before he pulled away, "Hush, love. It won't ever happen again. I swear…"

XXX

When Hermione made it back to the Grimaulde place she found Harry in the kitchen talking to Lupin. She was so tired from her emotional meeting with Draco, that she decided to first head to her room and take a shower before meeting up Harry who would no doubt want a detailed report of her meeting.

She shut the door closed and pulled the invisibility clock off her head when a voice from behind startled her,

"Hermione," she swirled round and gasped.

"Draco, what are you doing here?"

The blond boy approached her, his lips twisted into a familiar smirk, "I've missed you…" his hand came up and brushed a stray hair behind her ear.

Hermione flinched, her heart sinking. Something was not right. She was looking into Draco's grey eyes, they were so familiar and for some reason so alien. She gripped her wand but before she could pull it out, Draco's hand shot up and he delivered a sharp blow to her temple. Everything went dark…

**Please review.**


	27. Chapter 25

**Hi All. Here is a new Chapter. I would like to thank xCailinNollaigx‏ for agreeing to be my beta and helping me with this chapter. Reviews welcome.**

_Previously: …Draco's hand shot up and he delivered a sharp blow to her temple. Everything went dark… _

**Chapter 25**

Hermione awoke to the sound of two voices: male and female. They were arguing about something**,** but through the haze in her aching head she could not understand what about. She tried to move her arms and legs but found that they were tied together behind her back making her body arch in an unnatural angle - the throbbing pain in her joints serving as a sign that she had been in such position for quite a while.

Careful not to make a sound**, **Hermione peeked from under her eyelashes hoping to get an idea of where she was and who were the two people in the room. The blinding pain shot through her head again forcing her to close her eyes again stifling a moan. She could not afford to alert the others to her state of awakening and considering she could not see, resigned to try and listen to them.

Remembering her meditation classes, she attempted pushing the pain to the back of her head and soon she could concentrate enough to understand what they were talking about.

"It's not what we agreed on," an awfully familiar male voice was saying.

"Is it not?" there was a good degree of mocking in the female's response.

"No, it's not and you know it," the man shouted again. "I promised to bring Granger to you and you promised that Malfoy would be the one everybody suspects."

"And I delivered on that one," the female interjected. "I gave you the Polyjuice Potion, his cologne and his hair. That should be plenty for your werewolf-friend to identify him."

"And I have brought you the girl," the male voice retorted. "That's the end of our deal."

The woman laughed and Hermione's heart sank recognising the sound instantly. She heard this manic laughter once before and it was forever ingrained in her brain together with the image of Bellatrix Lestrangesending Sirius flying through the veil at the Department of Mysteries.

"Even you cannot be that naïve," Bellatrix drawled causing Hermione to return to reality. "This was just the first taster of future fruitful collaboration," the older witch continued in a sing song voice. "Now that you have burned your bridges I can actually tell the Dark Lord about our little engagement, and I am sure he would have one or two tasks for you."

The male made a protesting sound but the witch interrupted him, "Handsomely rewarded tasks," she added. "The Dark Lord can be very generous with those who serve him well."

"I am not interested," even to Hermione's ears the protest sounded weak.

Bellatrix just laughed. "Of course, you are. Plus you don't really have a choice, anyway. If anybody finds out what you've done, that you delivered Potter's Mudblood to me, they would be fighting each other for the right to kill you. Including your precious family." She snorted and her tone changed. " Now, stop wasting time and go back to the Order. Make sure that they all think that Draco was the one to kidnap her."

Her words made Hermione's heart race, as the memories from earlier rushed through her mind. She remembered getting back to Grimmauld place and seeing Draco in her room. She was instantly relieved knowing that her instinct was right when she felt something off about him. Bellatrix' words had confirmed that it was not Draco who kidnapped her and Hermione tried to open her eyes again hoping to at least catch of glimpse of the impostor**.**However, she was not that lucky because all she saw was a blink of blond hair as the door closed behind him.

"I see, we are awake now," Hermione heard a malicious voice to the right of her and mentally cursed. In her haste to see her attacker, she forgot about Bellatrix.

Hermione just stared at the older witch**,** fear gripping her heart. When the Gryffindor girl first woke up she was too busy trying to figure out what had happened and who had kidnapped her to really think about how grim her situation was. Now that she was staring into Lestrange's cruel face, she could not suppress a shudder.

Her circumstances were dire indeed. Nobody knew that she had been kidnapped. Draco believed that she was safe at the Order's HQ. Harry thought that she was still with Draco, and even when he got too worried by her long absence, he would be trying to contact the Slytherin, which would not help Hermione in the slightest. With her hands tied behind her back the Link Pendant was of absolutely no use to her and her wand was nowhere in sight.

The only hope she had was that she would be brought to a Death Eater gathering that Draco would be attending. That would certainly alert him to her predicament but she was not sure if he would be able to free her without putting himself in mortal danger. Her thoughts were interrupted by Bellatrix.

"Don't even think about this, Mudblood. I know you hope that my good-for-nothing nephew would rescue you, but I would have to disappoint you. By the time he'd find out you're missing, you would be long gone." Noticing how the young girl paled visibly, the older witch laughed. "You did not think I would keep you alive for long?" Her voice was dripping with malice. "I am not stupid. Your disappearance is not going to be unnoticed for long and though your precious Order would be chasing Draco for a while, I would not risk somebody finding you. The only reason you are still alive is that I would like to extract the knowledge and memories from that head of yours so that my Master might learn something about Potter. Afterwards you would be of absolutely no use to me." Bellatrix' face twisted with hate, "And then I'll be able to send you where you belong, to Mudblood hell…" She was about to say something else when a low smooth voice interrupted her making both women jump.

"Tsk, tsk, Bella, don't you think you should leave such decisions to the Dark Lord?"

Bellatrix swirled round and Hermione could see a tall figure of Lucius Malfoy looming by the door. His grey eyes that were so much like his son's swept over the girl lying on the floor and his face assumed its usual disdainful look as he strolled into the room, his long robes swishing elegantly behind him.

"Go away, Lucius," Bellatrix snarled, "this is none of your business."

Lucius just raised an eyebrow at her, "Is it not?" he asked clearly amused. "You have brought this filth into my house and it's none of my business?"

Bellatrix rolled her eyes, "Don't be such an ass, Lucius. It's not like I brought her to your living quarters. Plus, she is not even going to be here long," she added off-handedly, "And I promise I will do a good Scourgify once I am done with her."

The blond wizard chuckled, "Don't play with me, Bella." He remarked coolly, "You know what I am talking about. She's Potter's best friend. I think the Dark Lord would be interested in seeing her," his voice was silky but there was a definite edge to it.

The older witch turned to him sharply, "Stop bossing me around, Lucius, and mind your own business." Her lips twisted into a sardonic smile, "Perhaps instead of bothering me, you should think about a way to explain to the Dark Lord, why your precious son had bonded to a Mudblood?"

Hermione who was watching the exchange with baited breath felt her heart sink. Though Draco told her that he had informed his parents of their bondage she had not yet seen Lucius Malfoy in her new capacity. Her eyes were glued to his face hoping to see any reaction to the Bellatrix' words but both witches were disappointed. The blond's face remained as expressionless as ever.

"Bella, are you threatening me?" he asked casually but Hermione noticed Bellatrix tense.

"I am trying to get you out of my way, Lucius," the witch replied warily. "I don't have all day and you know better than me that the whole Order of the Phoenix would be searching for her. I don't want any complications so I'll just extract her knowledge and memories and then let her body rot somewhere. And if you have any sense left, you'll let me get on with it, because once she's dead, Draco can move on and assume his rightful place in our ranks. And you don't need to worry about explaining the stupid bonding to the Dark Lord or having a Mudblood on your family tree."

Her words made Hermione flinch and she stared at Lucius pleadingly. But he did not pay any attention to her, his eyes fixed on his sister-in-law. The next moment his stance loosened up as he smiled and Hermione's heart sank even lower.

"You are right, Bella," Malfoy's voice softened and somehow became even more silky, "I am sorry for interfering, I should have thought that you are part of the family and have our best interests at heart." He sounded very sincere and Bellatrix who had been gripping her wand tightly, visibly relaxed.

"Of course, I do, Lucius," she replied haughtily, "Narcissa is my sister after all and I want her to be happy."

"Of course," Lucius repeated taking a step forward to the dark haired witch. His eyes smouldered as he looked at her, his gaze fixed on her lips. "We are in your debt for helping us out with this," he casually waved his hand towards Hermione not even acknowledging her with a look. "I just hope that there is a way we can repay you?"

His words made Hermione squirm. Never in her life, had she thought that the cold and regal Lucius Malfoy could be oozing such charm. Even in her current state of distress she could not deny that he was sinfully good looking. His eyes had considerably darkened with hidden passion, becoming almost black. Just looking into them made her head swoon and it seemed that she was not the only one. Bellatrix' breathing had become substantially louder and faster. She seemed transfixed with the wizard, her lips partying slightly.

Lucius was gracefully moving closer, his voice caressing the ears of two women in the room like silky velvet, "Just tell me, Bella, is there anything I can do for you? Your wish is my command, my dear."

The witch just stared at him. Lucius was standing right in front of her his fingers gently grazing her cheek as she leaned into his palm. Hermione could not tear her eyes away completely mesmerised by the sex appeal radiating off of Lucius Malfoy. He lifted his other hand and tangled it in the dark curls of his sister-in-law drawing her so close that their bodies almost touched. The next moment there was a soft crack and Bellatrix body fell to the floor.

Hermione could not contain a gasp as she snapped out of her daze only to see Lucius already leaning next to her, Bellatrix body laying a few steps away. The young witch could not contain a shiver when her eyes met with the onyx black orbs of the blond wizard. There was something incredibly powerful and dangerous about them but she could not force herself to look away. Her brain scrambled trying to figure out what this change in circumstances meant for her, if it had been just a swap from a frying pan to a fire? She was about to ask when he pressed his finger to her lips and whispered barely audible making her strain her ears to hear him.

"If you ever want to see my son again, Miss Granger, I suggest that you stay very still and very quiet."

The girl in front of him visibly paled and nodded mutely. The next moment Lucius was gone and Hermione was left alone in the room, her heart racing wildly. Panic threatened to overwhelm her and Hermione struggled to keep herself from crying. She had never in her life been as scared as she was now and this Lucius Malfoy was simply terrifying.

He always made an impression of typical pureblood wizard who did not do anything without using magic and here she saw him literally hypnotise Bellatrix Lestrange and then snap her neck with his bare hands as if she was some sort of a doll. And his eyes… How could they possibly turn pitch so black?! She knew that magic was capable of many things but such almost instantaneous transformation… It was strange even for a powerful wizard.

A sound of an opening door snapped her from her thoughts.

"Rudolphus, my friend," she heard Lucius' velvety voice, "I have here some of my best wine, I am sure we would be able to find something for your taste." The door opened and a tall wizard stumbled into the room, closely followed by Lucius.

For a moment they both stood and then Rudolphus rushed forward to the body of his wife, "Bella?!" he cried out.

"Imperio!" Lucius' voice was deadly calm. Rudolphus flinched and turned towards the blond wizard.

"Lucius?" he asked and then seeing the blond pointing a wand at him frowned, "That's Bella's wand," he said looking confused and then his expression turned to hatred, "You!!!" he exclaimed getting up, "It was you who killed her!!!" he attempted to launch at the blond wizard but was held back by an invisible force.

"It's very perceptive of you, Rudolphus," Lucius remarked condescendingly.

Lestrange roared and pulled out his wand, but was unable to use it. "Tut, tut…" Lucius shook his head, "I know that you are dying to kill me at the moment. But you forget that I am incredibly good at Imperius curse and you are hopeless at fighting it. So I suggest that you take that wand of yours, point it to your temple and put yourself out of this misery. Now."

Hermione could not watch the unfolding scene any longer. "Stop," she cried out with horror.

Her scream, however, did nothing to stop Rudolphus Lestrange from lifting his wand to his temple and pronouncing two words "Avada Kedavra." His limp body fell next to his wife. The young witch screamed again but fell silent under a cold glare from the blond wizard.

Lucius placed Bellatrix' wand back into her robes and then turned to Hermione. Even in her helpless state she tried to move away from him but without much success. The blond wizard gave her bonds a quick glance and then simply tore them with his bare hands as if they were just pieces of thread. For a second their eyes met and Hermione was shocked to see two pool of opaque black instead of silvery grey she was used to.

"Miss Granger, can you walk?" Lucius had broken the silence making Hermione jump. The fact that he was talking to her so calmly just after she witnessed him killing two people, made her sick to her stomach. She tried to move her legs and arms, but the blood circulation had been restricted for too long for her to make any coordinated movements. Without another word, Lucius picked her up as if she weighed nothing and quickly headed to the back of the room. There he muttered something making part of the wall move revealing a narrow passage. It was pitch dark but the blond wizard had no hesitation of entering it.

"Wait," Hermione cried out in anguish. "Where are you taking me?"

He stopped in his tracks and looked straight at her, making Hermione uncomfortable to be looking so closely into his dark eyes. "I am taking you out of this Manor, Miss Granger." His voice was cold but polite, "I don't want to risk apparating from here since someone might detect the disturbance in the wards. This pass will take us to the forest just outside the Manor grounds. From there I can safely apparate you to you home."

"You are taking me home?" Hermione could not stop herself from sounding surprised.

The blond wizard raised an eyebrow at her, "Is that such a surprise?"

Under his arrogant gaze, Hermione blushed, "Well, yes," she did not know how to continue, "I mean you…" she stopped not knowing how to form her thought, the images from earlier flooding her mind.

"Miss Granger," his tone was clipped, "are you so eloquently referring to the fact, that since I've just killed two people to free you from this predicament you had landed yourself into, it would be impossible for me to try and return my son's soul mate to her home where her life would no longer be in danger?!"

Hermione just stared at him not knowing what to say. Lucius laughed humourlessly. "Such Gryffindor thinking," his condescending tone made her blush again this time with irritation, "I thought that after being with my son you would learn a thing or two about Malfoy men." She gave him a confused look and he rolled his eyes, "We protect ourselves and our own. You are Draco's soul mate. I would do a lot more to protect you than killing a couple of sick bastards who happen to be my relatives."

Without waiting for her reply, he moved forward into the pass, the wall sliding back into place leaving just blackness around them. Hermione's breath caught in her throat but the man holding her did not seem to mind the complete darkness as he moved quickly forward making her grip his neck in a tight embrace. She could not say how long or how short their trip was, she could not see anything but at some point she heard him mutter a few words again and the next moment they found themselves in the middle of the forest.

He lowered her to the ground and she could not have been more happy. She was out of the darkness, breathing fresh air, seeing stars. Her eyes turned to Lucius and were greeted to the most surprising sight: the blackness in his eyes was quickly fading leaving them its usual colour of icy grey.

"Your eyes," she gasped, "What… what happened to them?"

Lucius gave her a sharp look and she was almost sure that he would tell her to mind her own business but he seemed to think better of it. "My great-great grandfather was a vampire. I've inherited some traits from him. When they manifest my eyes turn black."

Hermione was shocked that he actually replied to her question but even more she was fascinating to learn something further about Malfoy's family. "Does Draco have it as well?" she asked.

Lucius shook his head, "Not really, he has less than 5% of the vampire blood in him."

Hermione was about to ask another question but the wizard stopped her, "Where do you want to be apparated? I am sure people are looking for you and I need to get back to the Manor in order not to raise unnecessary suspicion."

His words made her think about the Lestranges and she paled. "How did you manage to kill her?" she asked quietly.

In an instant his face turned stone cold making her almost regret her question. "How do you think, Miss Granger?" his tone was harsh, "You are supposed to be a brightest witch of your age!" Lucius laughed harshly. When she remained silent, he hissed, "I've used my vampire charm to hypnotise her and then my vampire strength to break her neck. Does it make me even more of a monster?"

She did not respond to his question, knowing that it would do no good to both of them. Instead she concentrated on processing the information and then asking something that was really bothering her, "What are you going to tell Voldermot?"

Lucius was taken aback by the lack of emotion in her voice and winced hearing her use the name of his master, but he answered her nonetheless, "I am not going to tell him anything," he replied tiredly, "and hope that it would be passed as a fight gone too far between a husband and wife. Rudolphus was already drunk, and they fought viciously at the best of times. He was very powerful physically - it would be believable that in his rage he had snapped her neck and then seeing what he'd done, committed suicide. That's why I have not used my wand. It could be checked for spells I'd cast last during the investigation. The Dark Lord was very fond of Bella."

She shivered at the way he said her name. "She was your sister-in-law…" she said quietly but he heard her.

"And you are my future daughter-in-law," his harsh voice softened slightly, "Only one of you could get out of that room alive. Would you rather I chose her?"

"No," Hermione felt horribly guilty, "I am really-really grateful, Mr Malfoy. You saved my life and I would never be able to thank you enough."

She stopped when his expression changed, his grey eyes suddenly turning very intense. He took a step towards her his finger lifting her chin so that she was forced to look straight at him, "You will do more than thank me, Miss Granger," he said in his dangerous, velvety voice, "You will repay me with interest by making Draco happy and by giving him an heir who would continue the Malfoy line. Trust me that will make us more than even."

With these words he grabbed her hand and they apparated. Hermione felt an unfamiliar tug behind her navel and then they reappeared in the dark alley. Lucius steadied her but then immediately let go, "We are near the HMV store that you met Draco in," he said briskly, "I trust you can get back to the Order's HQ from here."

He was about to disappear but she grabbed his hand, "Draco told you?" she asked.

For the first time she saw his face lit up with a genuinely amused smile, "Of course, he told me, Miss Granger. No matter what you think about us, Malfoys are a very close family. When Draco bonded to you, he told us about you, how you've met, how he taught you Occlumency and so on. He is very fond of you."

Hermione felt her heart clench, "But I am a Mudblood," she blurted out unable to contain herself.

And was rewarded by another condescending look from the blond wizard, "Your heritage, Miss Granger, might not be perfect, but you have done your best to learn about the wizarding world and I am sure one day you will be worthy of the Malfoy name." Before she could say anything he looked her in the eye, "No more questions, Miss Granger. You need to learn to contain your curiosity. Every moment you are missing, Draco would be in danger from your idiotic friend sand both of you are in danger from a spy among your midst. I strongly advise you to find out who had kidnapped you before he strikes again."

With these words he disapparated and Hermione spurred into action. She squeezed the Link Pendant and concentrated. The next moment Draco appeared by her side with a very enraged Harry Potter hanging onto his robes.


	28. Chapter 26

**Chapter 28**

"Hermione!" two male voice sounded in unison and she throw flung herself onto both of them, effectively pulling them into a three way hug. They responded in kind and she felt herself being crashed between the two boys.

"Thank Merlin you're alright," Harry's voice was muffled by her hair. "I was going mental with worry."

Hermione was touched by the clear anguish and relief in her best friend's voice but all thoughts of Harry left her when she heard Draco's barely audible whisper, "Gods, Granger."

These two simple words contained so much pent up emotions that she felt her heart melting. She tightened her hold on him trying to reassure him of her presence. But it was not enough and he pulled her face away from his shoulder. For a second their eyes locked and then he crashed his mouth to hers. The kiss was borderline between desperate and brutal as if he was trying to make sure that she was indeed all flash and blood and not the phantom of his imagination.

Such exchange was not something Harry could enjoy especially in such a close proximity. He moved away from the couple and asked in a grim tone, "Where have you been?"

Reluctantly Hermione broke the kiss and turned to her friend though she refused to leave Draco's embrace, "Malfoy Manor," she replied and seeing as Harry shot a murderous look at the Slytherin, added hastily, "It was not Draco. I was kidnapped by somebody else and brought to Bellatrix Lestrange." Her friend's face paled visibly and Hermione hurried to continued, "She did not have a chance to hurt me, Lucius Malfoy saved me." Her last statement made Harry's jaw drop and she looked quickly at Draco, her voice dropping to a whisper, "he killed both Lestranges."

"He what?" Harry cried out. Before Hermione could respond Draco shook his head.

"Not here," he said firmly tightening his embrace on Hermione. "Potter, you might want to hold on to my robes again. This time with my permission…"

The Boy-Who-Lived gave the Slytherin a suspicious look, "We should get Hermione back to the Order," he said sternly, "they are all looking for her."

"They can look for her a little bit longer," Draco's tone was dismissive, "We need to talk first in a safe place and decide what to do before we face them. We are going to the Delacours, at least we won't be disturbed there."

The moment he mentioned the French family, Harry's objections died on his lips and he quickly grabbed Draco's robes as they apparated away.

They reappeared in the entrance hall of a grand building that looked to Hermione more like a palace. It was the first time both her and Harry had been to a rich wizarding house. While they were taking in the surroundings, Draco swiftly moved towards a large double doors, yelling for Fleur and Gabi on his way.

The doors flew open and the older Veela rushed into the room. When she saw the trio, she shrieked in a decidedly girlish fashion and launched herself at Harry. "Oh Draco, I can't believe you brought them both here," she smiled happily.

The Slytherin rolled his eyes, amused by his cousin's enthusiasm but his reply was distinctly sober, "This is not a social visit, Fleur. Hermione had been kidnapped and just barely made it back. We need a safe place to talk and form a plan and I could not think about a better location."

The Veela's face fell, "Oh Merlin… Blaise had just arrived but I have not had a chance to talk to him…" she turned to Hermione, "Are you OK? Were you hurt?" her voice expressed true concern.

Hermione assured the French girl that she was alright. Talking they made their way into a beautiful drawing room and found that it was already occupied by Blaise and Gabrielle who were seated together on an elegant loveseat. The Slytherin has obviously already filled his girlfriend on the past events and the younger girl rushed forward to give Hermione a hug. The Gryffindor was just about to return it when a low velvety voice made her jump.

"What is all the commotion about?"

Hermione swirled around and found herself staring straight at Severus Snape, who just walked in through another door, his arm draped around a tall dark haired woman.

Hermione felt her jaw drop, her mind registering a quiet gasp coming from her best friend. Never in their lives the two Gryffindors could imagine their feared, hated Potions' Master looking like that. He was a greasy git, an overgrown bat from the dungeons, a Death Eater and a spy, with a character as charming as a zombie and with as many spikes as a porcupine.

However the Severus Snape in front of her had nothing in common with that mental image. His black robes were nowhere in sight and he was clad in a pair of well fitted trousers and a shirt with rolled up sleeves that were showing his toned chest and well muscled arms. Even more astonishing was the sight of a woman leaning into him. Olive skin, deep blue eyes, raven-black waist-long hair-she was a classic beauty and she was clinging tightly to the dark haired wizard.

"Mr Potter, Miss Granger, could you kindly close your mouths?" Snape's voice was silky but his eyes glittered with a mixture of amusement and warning. "If you've never been told before staring at people is rude."

Hermione snapped her mouth shut and turned to Draco who despite of the grim reasons that brought them here, had a hard time holding back laughter. The coughing behind them showed that Blaise and Gabrielle had more troubles containing themselves. Before the situation could get out of control Fleur decided to divert everybody's attention by doing introductions.

"I don't believe you've met," she said overly brightly, "Hermione Granger, Harry Potter. And this is Isabelle Delacour." The Veela turned to the two Gryffindors, "She is our half sister from my father's first marriage to Françoise Devoules who was the heiress to one of the oldest wizarding families in France. She died in a tragic accident when Isabelle was five."

While Fleur was talking Hermione could not tear her eyes away from the couple in front of her. She had to admit that they looked very good together. With him all hard panes and angles and her soft curves, they complemented each other beautifully.

But coming face to face with the fact that Snape was, in what undoubtedly looked like a romantic relationship - it was certainly a shock for the Gryffindors witch. Not that she did not think he could attract a woman's eye… The Potion's Master practically radiated power and in combination with his "dark and dangerous" reputation, it was a powerful mixture that a lot of women were drawn to.

But Isabelle was not just any woman, she was a gorgeous pureblood witch, who also happened to be another Delacour sister?! What were the chances of that!!! It seemed that everybody around Hermione including herself was somehow romantically linked to a Malfoy – Delacour clan. If all these pairings worked out she shuddered to think what a future family gathering would look like…

The young witch snapped out of her reverie when Draco gave her a discreet nudge. She realised that Fleur had stopped talking and everybody was looking at her and Harry. The Boy-Who-Lived opened his mouth and then snapped it shut, his eyes expressing the disbelief they both felt.

Sighing Hermione realised that it was up to her to try and minimize the damage to the first impression that both her and Harry had created in their potential relative. She stepped forward and stretched out her hand towards the dark haired witch.

"It's very nice to meet you," she said willing her smile to look warm instead of strained. "I am sorry we've arrived so unexpectedly."

"Don't worry about it," Isabelle's smile was considerably more genuine and less forced than Hermione's though her blue eyes betrayed the amusement at the younger witch's attempts to cover the awkward situation. "It's nice to meet you too, I've heard a lot about the two of you."

Their exchange was interrupted by Draco who had decided that it was time to steer the conversation towards more important issues, "Not that I am not enjoying this gathering but now that we're done with the introductions, we have a pressing matter to discuss." He looked straight at Severus, his face hardening. "Hermione had been kidnapped from the HQ of the Order of the Phoenix. She does not know who did it but she was brought to the Malfoy Manor and handed to Bellatrix. It's only my father's interference that saved her, he had to kill both Lestranges."

Snape's eyes lost the glittering spark and turned into their usual unreadable blackness. He turned to Hermione, "Bellatrix and Rudolphus?" he asked.

The Gryffindor nodded. For a second Snape was silent, then he pointed to a couple of couches in the middle of the room. "Miss Granger, could you describe to us in as many details as you can what you remember of the incident?"

Everybody set down and Hermione proceeded to tell as factually as possible everything that happened from the moment she returned to her room in Grimmauld place to the moment when Draco and Harry appeared by her side. She only hesitated once when talking about Lucius' vampire abilities manifesting, not sure if she should be divulging such personal information of her future father-in-law. But she figured out that most of the people in the room were related to Lucius in one way or another and likely knew about his heritage already. To her relief nobody except Harry was surprised so she hurried to finish her story.

"What do you think, Severus?" Draco looked at his godfather.

The Potion Master shrugged his shoulders, "I think that your father is right, Draco, we need to find out who had betrayed Miss Granger and do it as quickly as possible. It was a lucky escape today but there is no guarantee that the next time we would be just as fortunate."

Everybody nodded but Fleur voiced her concern, "What about uncle Lucius?" she asked. "Do we need to help him?"

At this both Snape and Draco shook their heads and the latter spoke up, "Father knows what he's doing. There is nothing to be done but wait."

"Precisely," Severus agreed, "any activity out of the ordinary would be more of a risk. Lucius is smart and careful. He did everything possible to avert suspicion from himself and we need to trust him. The best way to hep him is to find out who had kidnapped Miss Granger. If this person is not found he might contact other Death Eaters and it could become known that Miss Granger was brought to Bellatrix on the day of her death. Then Lestranges' deaths from a family feud would sound a lot less plausible." His black eyes turned to Hermione. "Miss Granger, do you have any ideas on who might have kidnapped you?"

The Gryffindor girl thought hard for a moment, "It has to be someone from the Order," she said carefully. "No one else would be able to get inside Grimmauld Place."

"Or it could be somebody associated with the Order," Snape corrected, "somebody like yourself or Mr Potter."

"Well, I did not do it," Harry muttered shooting the Potion's Master a dark look. The older man ignored him and kept his focus on Hermione, "Any other thoughts, Miss Granger, have you noticed something suspicious recently? Are you aware of somebody harbouring strong animosity towards you?"

Hermione hated being put on a spot like that but she could understand why Snape was doing it. She thought hard, going through everything that had happened in the last months and the only thing that could come to her mind was something she really did not want to admit to.

As if reading her thoughts Snape spoke up again, "Miss Granger, you have already been in mortal danger today and a wizard had to put his life on the line to save yours. Hiding potentially relevant information is a poor way of repaying him."

His words made Hermione blush and she shifted in her seat next to Draco. Ever since Lucius saved her, she could not stop thinking about what would happen if he got found out. How would Draco react if she was the reason that his father got killed?!

Snape was right: she owed Lucius Malfoy her life. And the least she could do was to share her suspicions. But Merlin, did it make her feel awful! She hated herself for even thinking that her long time friend could be capable of something like that. And if his family ever found out that she was the one to first speak our Ron's name. But she could not risk staying quiet. Too much was at stake. So she pushed her guilt to the back of her head and took a deep breath.

"Well," she started, "The only person who has reasons to hate me is Ron, but I don't think he'll ever do something like that."

"Will he not?" Fleur voice was full of doubt and it made Hermione frown, as the French girl continued, "I thought that he had already betrayed you and Harry. Why do you think he would not go further?"

Hermione did not know how to answer and instead looked at Harry for support. The Gryffindor shook his head, "I agree with Hermione. Ron is a git, of course, but he does not have an evil heart. He would never physically harm any of us. Plus he hates Voldermot and Death Eaters, his father nearly died from their hand last year. I doubt he would ever choose to have any dealings with them."

"Maybe not," Isabelle spoke for the first time joining the discussion, "and maybe, yes. A scorned heart is a fertile ground for hatred and stupidity. I think it would be worth while investigating this further, don't you think Severus?"

"Absolutely," he replied silkily. "Miss Granger's words have just confirmed my own observations and also Gabrielle's information."

Both Harry and Hermione shot a younger Veela quizzical looks and she smiled at them sadly, "Severus asked me to check Ron Weasley's emotions towards you and I can only say, that he absolutely loathes you, Hermione and is very jealous of Harry. His sister has similar feelings."

"OK, then," Draco prevented Hermione and Harry from continuing the argument. "Weasley is the first suspect we have and then we would need to check on his sister. I always thought that a little Weaselette had a wicked streak to her. Any ideas on how we could find out the truth?"

"Why don't you just use Legilimency on them?" Harry asked.

"Because it won't give us anything, Potter," Snape replied. "Draco and Blaise can't just waltz in into the Order's HQ. And my situation is always dubious among the Order members. Mr and Miss Weasley are not just any boy and girl, they have a close family around them, who probably comprises five out of the ten most powerful wizards in the Order. If he or she is found out to have betrayed Miss Granger and the Order of the Phoenix, the proof must be obtained by someone who is above all doubt and is also impartial and trusted by the Order. To this extent I would suggest using Lupin and that auror Nymphadora Tonks."

"But neither of them can do Legilimency," Hermione objected.

"But they don't need it," Draco's eyes sparkled, "Tonks is metamorphmagus and the Weasley does not yet know that Hermione has escaped and that Bellatrix is dead. If we convince Tonks to turn into Lestrange and approach him, we can get the confirmation and if it's witnessed by the right people, aka, his family and Lupin that would be sufficient."

Snape gave his godson an approving look, but Harry was not convinced. "Don't you think it's too complicated?!" he asked. "Let's just give Ron veritaserum. You must have some on you, Professor?" he turned to Snape.

"Of course, I do, Mr Potter," the Potion Master replied darkly, "but I am not about to risk going to Azkaban for using veritaserum on a minor. There is plenty of people who would love me to end up there and I don't want to give them the opening when I don't have to. I suggest we go with Draco's plan. Any objections?"

Nobody said anything. The Slytherins and Veelas agreed and Hermione and Harry were too much shaken by the idea of Ron being the kidnapper to come up with any further objections.

"Good," Snape continued, "Then lets get a move on. We don't know how much time we have before Lestranges' bodies are discovered and the news reaches the Order." He turned to Hermione, "Miss Granger, you should stay here for now. It would be easier to set everything up if people think you are still missing.

The Gryffindor girl nodded and the wizard looked at her friend, "Mr Potter, I would rely on you to convince Tonks and Lupin to give this a go. I will of course go with you but I can't be seen championing the idea. Are you willing to do this?"

It was obvious that Harry was not too happy about the whole situation. He looked at Hermione who gave him a helpless look and finally he nodded reluctantly, "OK, I'll do it but mark my word. I think this is the biggest load of nonsense I've ever heard. Ron is innocent and we are just wasting our time."

"Duly noted," Snape drawled and before Harry could retort turned to his godson, "Draco, you will return with Miss Granger once I give you a signal. Isabelle would inform you of the time."

The blond Slytherin shook his head, "It won't be me, Severus. Blaise would bring Hermione back." When everybody shot him questioning look, he added thoughtfully. "If Weasley is the one that kidnapped her, it means he knows about the bonding and would no doubt talk about it. Me bringing Hermione back would serve as a confirmation. However, if Blaise does it, it would mean nothing of the sort and he could claim it was his way of helping the Order. He's considered much less of an evil reincarnated than I am and it would be easier for him to be accepted. We can use this for UAW."

He stopped talking and Hermione was about to ask how the situation could be useful for UAW but Draco squeezed her hand and she remained silent. Snape looked thoughtful for a moment, him and Draco exchanging a few meaningful looks and at the end the older wizard nodded. "That's settled then," he announced.

Within a few minutes the room was empty. Isabelle and Fleur went into the gardens after saying hasty goodbyes to their respective halves. Blaise and Gabi disappeared somewhere in the house leaving Hermione and Draco alone.

The Gryffindor was about to speak up but Draco did not let her, pressing a finger to her lips. Without a word he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the doors. They walked up the stairs and through a number of rooms until they reached, what Hermione could only guess, the sleeping quarters of the mansion.

The Slytherin led her into one of the rooms which appeared to be a beautiful bed chamber. The moment the door behind them closed, he span her round and pressed Hermione against the door, his mouth crashing to hers.

He kissed her hungrily like a starving man, his hands roaming her body and finally coming up to cup her bum lifting her off the floor so that she had no choice but to wrap her legs around his waist and grab his shoulder for support. In the midst of this storm, Draco pulled away from her and she could see his eyes that had gone almost black from emotions reeling in them. "Gods, Hermione," he whispered, "I thought I lost you."

**Thanks very much to everybody who read and reviewed. Here is a new chapter and I hope you enjoy it. And again big thanks to xCailinNollaigx‏ for her comments and suggestions. **

**More reviews would be very welcome. **


	29. Chapter 27

**Hi. I am really sorry for such long silence. It's been a combination of lack of ideas and being extremely busy. I hope that now updates would be coming more regular. I'll do my best. Please send your reviews, they are always a good inspiration.**

_Previously:… Draco pulled away from her and she could see his eyes that had gone almost black from emotions reeling in them. "Gods, Hermione," he whispered, "I thought I'd lost you."_

Chapter 29

Draco rolled to his side bringing Hermione with him as their breathing returned to normal. They both knew it wasn't the time and the place but did not care. Today had been too much of a close call, and being with each other in this most intimate of ways had held the demons at bay at least temporarily.

However now the reality had come back to them and by an unspoken agreement they readjusted their clothing, and went outside to enjoy the relative warmth of the French winter.

They set together on a bench, Hermione leaning against him. For a while both were quiet simply enjoying the peaceful scenery and each others company. Draco was the one to interrupt the silence.

"When you go back to the Order," his voice was quiet but determined, "assuming that our suspicions about Weasley are correct, we are going to offer his family a deal."

"What deal?" Hermione frowned surprised by his business tone and turned around so she could see his face.

"Their support for Potter in return for a reduced punishment for their son."

"You'll let him go free?" she enquired her heart tightening.

"Of course, not," Draco's face hardened, "He meant to hurt you and all I want to do is tear the bastard limb by limb with my own bare hands but I don't have such luxury. His family is too powerful within the Order. So I want to offer them a deal."

The Gryffindor witch frowned, "First we need to see the proof that he is indeed guilty," she replied tersely.

"But of course," he drawled and then changed his tone, "Don't keep your hopes up, Hermione. I know Severus. He would never have pushed the idea if he was not fairly confident in being right. Trust me, he might not be willing to share his information but he surely knows more than he lets on."

For a second she froze, her minds eye going back to the event earlier in the day when she saw her Potion's master in the new light.

"Professor Snape and Isabelle Delacour…" she started, but Draco interrupted her.

"I could not tell you," he replied softly, "It's not my secret and you know how it is with Severus. He's my Godfather and I don't want to do anything that might get him into trouble. I was really surprised when he actually came out to see you with Isabelle. It's a real sign of trust on his part for you and Potter. So far it's only the family who knew about them."

For a second she stayed quiet processing the information. Professor Snape was always a fascinating figure for her, especially since she found out his role in the Order. But she had never thought of him in any other capacity than a Hogwarts Professor and lately a spy for the Order. He seemed to lack any human streak in him and she had never given a thought about his life outside Hogwarts. Honestly, she could not imagine him having one at all.

Even on the memorable night when he had helped Draco recover from the after-effects of Cruciatus, she still very much viewed him as a teacher, however, today she had been confronted with a new image of Snape. Snape – a man, who had friends and relatives, who was somebody's boyfriend and perhaps, she wondered, somebody's son?!

He looked so different, so human, so young… It made her realise that he was just in his mid thirties, which was not old by Muggle standards and even less so by the wizarding ones. She found it difficult to readjust her view of the Potions Master but did not want to discuss it with Draco in case he thought her prejudiced against his Godfather whom he clearly loved very much. Instead she settled for another question that had been burning in her mind since the moment when Snape had helped her during the launch of UAW landing his powerful magic into supporting the fire arch that she had been holding.

"Professor Snape…" she started, "he helped me hold off Dumbledore and other Professors during the ball. Does it mean he knows about UAW?"

An arched eyebrow expressed his confusion, "Everybody knows about UAW," he replied, "that's why we launched it."

Hermione shrugged impatiently. "It's not what I am asking. I mean, does Snape know about us, that we started UAW?"

"To some extent," Draco nodded his head, "Obviously after that night at Fleur's he knows that you and I are involved and so are Potter and Fleur and Blaise and Gabrielle. I think he pretty much figured out that there was something else going on beyond just a personal relationship."

His answer seemed evasive to her. "So you have not discussed it with him?"

"Not really," his reply was curt and as he did not volunteer more information Hermione was forced to prod further.

"So he is not a member of UAW?"

Draco shook his head, "I think Severus has enough memberships of secret organisations without it, don't you think?"

"But he helps us anyway," she stated thoughtfully trying to process the information. "How is that possible?"

Draco sighed, "It's a Slytherin thing. We do not volunteer information unless absolutely needed. Most conversations are based not on what's been said but on what has not. Severus never asked me about UAW directly, just as I've never asked him about his work for the Order."

At these words Hermione tensed. No matter how close Draco and herself had been, they never had talked about what was happening with the Order just as they never talked about what was happening when he had been summoned by Voldermot. It was an unspoken agreement and until now it worked quiet well.

But she was not sure that they would be able to maintain this separation for too long. Draco had sensed her confusion. He sighed, "Look, Hermione, this is not an easy situation, there is a lot of interests both organisational and personal mixed up and it's all determined by your priorities. For examples, my first priority is you and my family. Therefore I will do anything to protect you and only after that I will start thinking about UAW. For my father, as you have recently learnt, the first priority is our family, which is why he had helped you in spite of his Death Eater duties. For Severus, I suspect, the first priority is Isabelle and himself, then the rest of Delacours, and only afterwards it comes to us. Dumdledore, the Dark Lord and UAW follow suite in whatever order that I don't want to dwell onto for too long."

The witch's look was a mixture between puzzlement and annoyance. "How do you not get confused in this hierarchy?"

He smiled at her, "It's simple really, family comes first, everything else follows. This way, my father knows that though Severus probably would learn about him helping you, he has nothing to fear from him. And Severus would help us with UAW if he thinks that this would help him to survive the war. But we do not discuss it. First of all, there is a big difference between suspecting and being told openly, especially if you are ever questioned under the Veritaserum. And second of all, it's really is unnecessary since everybody already knows where we stand."

Hermione shook her head, "This is so Slytherin," she muttered. "Always thinking of personal gain."

"Well, of course," he looked at her squarely, "it's how we are, how we have been brought up."

"But it's ridiculous," she almost shouted, "what about the greater good. Sometimes it's important to sacrifice yourself for the others to have a happy life?"

His face hardened, "And what d0 you think my father did a few hours ago? He risked his life so that we could be happy."

"And I am forever grateful to him," she shot, "but he also killed his sister-in-law. Wouldn't that be against your rules of protecting ones family?"

Draco shook his head, "Bellatrix was trying to kill you, of course, my father would protect you."

Hermione sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose to calm down. This Slytherin philosophy was really beyond her. She understood the principal, but it seemed completely alien to everything she'd been taught during her life. At the same time now she understood how Draco and his House operated. Don't ask - don't tell policy was really taken to the extreme but it somehow seemed to work in his large and complex family.

Her thoughts shifted back to a new member of the Malfoy-Delacour clan. "How long have Isabelle and Professor Snape been together?" she asked trying to change the subject.

"Hermione," Draco's voice was soft but determined, "You know I can't…"

"Of course, you can, Draco," the voice behind them startled the pair and they both turned swiftly to see Isabelle Delacour standing behind them. The dark haired witch smiled at them but her light demeanour did not hide an intense expression in her eyes.

For some reason Hermione felt guilty, "No," she protested, "Draco is right. I've already pried enough…It's not my place…"

"But you can't help but being curious," Isabelle's voice sounded warmer than before, "and I don't blame you. But I would prefer if you learnt the truth from Draco and not from gossips which would spread sooner or later."

Hermione did not know what to say feeling honoured and guilty at the same time. "Thanks," she muttered, "I…" she stopped not knowing how to express her emotions.

The older woman seemed to understand her, "If Severus deemed it appropriate to reveal our relationship to you and Mr Potter than there is no reason for me to hide the background of it, especially from you."

"Me?" Hermione could not contain her surprise.

"Yes, you." Isabelle's face suddenly darkened, "I am not at Hogwarts and can't help Severus within its walls and when he is with the Order. Draco also has no access to the side of Light at least not as much as you do." She looked at Hermione defiantly, "From what I've heard and seen you are the only one who has honest respect for Severus. I want this respect to turn into something stronger, perhaps even a friendship of sorts, so that you would support him wholeheartedly."

Hermione just gaped at her and the French woman smirked, reminding the Gryffindor witch that she was looking at the other half of the Head of the Slytherin House. However, when she spoke up her voice sounded warmer with no hint of sarcasm.

"I know that you are very loyal to your friends, maybe if you see Severus as a human rather than a mean teacher, you would help him when the time comes. At the very least you could steer your friends away from fighting him. He could do with one less trouble on his plate."

For a moment two women looked at each other and what Hermione saw made her warm to Isabelle Delacour almost instantly. Behind the confident façade, she had seen the same emotions that were so familiar to her: devotion and worry, helplessness and fierce need to protect, it was all mixed together creating the one concoction called love. It stroke so close to home that Hermione all over sudden felt herself being very close to this gorgeous hauteur woman whom she had first met just a few hours ago.

"I'll do what I can," the young witch sounded so sincere, that Isabelle could not hide the relief that washed over her.

"Thank you." With those words the dark haired woman turned and disappeared into the house leaving the young couple alone.

"She truly loves him," Hermione muttered almost to herself.

"That she does," Draco's voice was unusually soft. "And she has done so for a very long time." When Hermione turned to him a surprised look, he shrugged. "From what I know Isabelle and Snape first met at the wedding of her father and Aunt Apolline. She was seven and Severus had just turned seventeen. What followed was a school girl crush that turned into something more. Isabelle is very strong headed, as you probably have noticed, and at a time she was a very spoiled girl. When she turned 16 she told Severus that she loved him and expected a proposal from him within a year."

At this information Hermione gasped, her imagination painting a colourful picture of Snape's response. Draco's lips curved into an amused smile, "Yes, you're right, Severus was not impressed and as usually did not even try to soften his reply. But Isabelle was as stubborn as he was; she persevered and for a year did not leave him alone, using any means at her disposal. She tried to make him jealous, begged and even attempted to seduce him. Severus in return did everything to discourage her attentions and let's just say that at some point it got so bad that she suffered a nervous breakdown.

The situation had put a lot of strain on Severus' friendship with the Malfoys and the rest of the Delacours. I mean they all tried to reason with her, but she just would not listen to anybody. So in order to solve the issue once and for all Severus told Isabelle that he was not about to marry some dunderhead school girl and his wife would have to proof to be be his intellectual equal. So if she came up with a potion that cured Lycanthropy, he would propose to her the same day."

"What?" Hermione could not believe her ears. It's all sounded like a story from one of the cheap romance novels that were so popular in the Muggle world. "But this is…"

"An impossible task." Draco finished for her. "Yes, well, you know Severus. He just lost patience and reverted to the tried and tested method of scientific logic. To everybody's surprise, his method seemed to have a good result. Isabelle came down, stopped bugging Snape and concentrated on her studies. The first big shock came after her graduation from school, when instead of following a carrier in fashion as everybody was expecting of her- I mean, you've seen how she looks, she took apprenticeship in potions; became a Mistress in 3 years time and also qualified as a healer specialising in werewolves' treatment. That was seven years ago and just 6 months ago, she came up with a potion that could prevent Lycanthropy in small children if given within 2 hours after the bite. The rest as they say is history."

Hermione stared at him in shock, "What do you mean history?!" she asked incredulously, "Has Snape proposed to her?"

Draco smiled, "The answer to that is that I don't know. But they have been together ever since. Knowing Severus, I would not think it was something so dramatic. And as far as I know my father and Severus have not yet had one of their drinking sessions so nobody knows for sure."

Hermione shook her head trying to rid her mind of the image of drunk Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape.

"They seem to be very close," she said instead, "your father and Professor Snape."

Draco nodded, "They've been best friends since school."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, "How did that happen?"

Draco looked at her in confusion, "Well, they were both in Slytherin, my father a couple of years ahead. And the Princes and the Malfoys were always close, I think at some point there were even trying to become related through marriage. But it never had worked out. Too few girls in both families."

It was Hermione's turn to look confused, "The Princes?" she asked.

"Well, of course, Snape's father was a muggle but his mother was Elaine Prince, the heiress of the Prince family-one of the oldest wizarding lines."

Suddenly, Hermione's brain clicked, "Prince," she repeated, "which makes Snape-a half blood… Oh, God," she cried out. "Harry's book…"

"What book?" Draco looked at her with a confused expression.

"The Potion's book," Hermione looked horrified, "that's why Harry has become so good in Potions, it's Snape's book and all the notes had been made by him."

The Slytherin frowned, "Are you telling me that Potter has got Snape's Potions Book from when he was at school?" he asked.

Hermione just nodded and Draco laughed. "Or, that's just great. I would love to see both their faces when they found out. Potter has been so proud of his successes in Potions and just to find out that it's because of Severus' book!"

Hermione scowled at him but could not master any witty reprieve. She felt a bit overwhelmed to be all over sudden exposed to the personal life of the Malfoy clan. Being the only child, just as both her parent were, she had never been exposed to big families except for the Weasleys who were as transparent as glass. But Draco seemed to have a large number of incredibly fascinating relatives who were, by some miraculous reasons, now linked to so many people around Hermione. It was allowing her a very unexpected insight into the life of the pureblood wizarding aristocracy.

Before Hermione could respond, a noise to her left startled her and she saw Isabelle standing right next to them. "It's time," the witch's voice was deadly quiet and when the two youngsters looked at her questioningly, she simply nodded her head, "It's been confirmed…"


	30. Chapter 28

**Hi All. I've been asked by Erilin-chan to write a short summary of the events thus far in this story. Since she's been very kind in sending lots of reviews, I thought I give it ago.**

_During the summer holidays after the 5__th__ year Hermione meets Draco Malfoy at a Muggle music store. She discovers that there is a lot more to the Slytherin than just Muggle hating and this gives Hermione an idea to turn him to the side of Light. _

_On their return to Hogwarts Hermione half begs/half blackmails Draco to teach her Occlumency so that she could help Harry. The Slytherin and the Gryffindor Princess start spending significant time together through Occlumency training as well as several accidental and not so accidental encounters. Soon, though reluctantly, they develop feelings for each other, which is helped by Ron showing his true colours and breaking up with Hermione. _

_The young witch pursues her initial plan of recruiting Draco's help for Harry but quickly realises that he is not going to do it for nothing. She suggests setting up an organisation aimed at those in the wizarding world who do not like Death Eaters but at the same time don't trust Muggle-loving Order of the Phoenix. After confronting Harry and securing his reluctant support United Association of Wizards is born. _

_The relationship between all characters develops further. Harry is found out to be dating Fleur Delacour who arrives to Hogwarts to take an apprenticeship with Madam Pomfrey. He then finds out that Draco Malfoy is Fleur's and Gabrielle's cousin. Draco's Veela's inheritance comes into play and Hermione bonds to him. After a nearly death encounter with Voldermot, Draco realises that Hermione is the one for him and in a typically Slytherin fashion convinces her to complete the bond. Unfortunately for him Ron Weasley spies on the Slytherin's conversation with the two Veela sisters and decides to take revenge._

_Severus Snape who is playing two masters in the hope of saving his life realises that there is more happening at Hogwarts than meets the eyes and also finds out about the bonded couples. He helps out during the launch of UAW during a Yule ball when Draco's Slytherin ways of fighting again come into play. _

_Hermione and Draco fight but manage to sort everything out but when she returns to Grimmauld Place she's kidnapped and brought to Malfoy Manor to Bellatrix Lestrange. Luckily for her, Lucius interferes and saves the Gryffindor witch, killing both his sister-in-law and her husband in the process._

_The older Malfoy helps Hermione escape and she makes it safely to Draco and Harry. All of them then travel to Delacour Manor where they meet Severus Snape who is romantically involved with Delacour's half-sister, Isabelle. Together they all come up with a plan how to find out who's betrayed them._

**And now back to the story…**

_Previously:_

_Before Hermione could respond and noise to her left startled her and she saw Isabelle standing right next to them. "It's time," the witch's voice was deadly quiet and when the two youngsters looked at her questioningly, she simply nodded her head, "It's been confirmed…"_

Chapter 28

Two hours earlier

"You want me to do what?" Tonks gave Harry an incredulous look and then shifted her gaze to Remus.

"You've heard me correctly, Tonks," Harry was in no mood for a lengthy discussion.

"But why?" the young Auror's eyes widened.

"Because we need to find Hermione," his reply was clipped, and Tonks who obviously was expecting him to elaborate, threw her hands in annoyance.

"And how me changing into Lestrange and questioning Ron, would help that?" she exclaimed and Harry mentally cursed. This was exactly the question he did not want to answer. He glanced at Snape who was standing near the bookcase with his arms crossed and an uninterested look firmly placed on his face.

This glance did not go unnoticed by Remus who was so far quiet, listening to the argument, "Was this your idea, Severus?" he asked calmly.

Snape just raised an eyebrow and Harry clenched his teeth, "No, it was not," he barked, "and even if it has been, what difference does it make?!"

Tonks was about to retort but Lupin shook his head, "I am not trying to argue, Harry. Severus quite often possesses information that allows him, in the absence of hard facts, to make, eh… educated guesses. And the situation is serious enough that we have a right to know whether this is one of such cases."

This time Harry did not have a chance to reply because Snape beat him to it, "If you are asking if that had been my idea Lupin," the dark wizard drawled, "then I would have to admit that no, it was not. However, I do think that it has merit and is worth while trying since, as you just point out, we are currently short of _hard facts_."

"We have plenty of facts," Tonks retorted. "We searched Hermione's room and found a blond hair and Remus was able to sense the aftershave that Draco Malfoy uses. It's plenty to go by and Kingsley has gone in search of the boy and when he finds him, we can question this Slytherin and hopefully rescue Hermione."

At this information Harry's face clouded. Oh, how much he would have wished it had been indeed Malfoy and not Ron that they had to suspect. For a second he felt guilty, knowing that it would have absolutely destroyed Hermione but, Merlin, would it have made his own life easier. "It wasn't Malfoy," Harry pushed his thoughts to the back of his head.

"What?" this time it was both Tonks and Remus who stared at him as if he had just grown a second head.

"I said it wasn't Malfoy," Harry repeated trying to remain calm.

"How do you know?" Tonks shot.

"How do you think I know?" Harry lost his battle for patience, "Because I talked to him. I thought exactly the same as you and went straight to Malfoy. He has an alibi; he could not have kidnapped Hermione."

Both Tonks and Remus stared at him and the young auror was about to say something but Lupin stopped her, "No, Tonks, I think we are not going to get more information out of Harry at the moment. And if it's true that Draco was not the one that kidnapped her, then we are indeed clueless and need any help we can get."

Tonks looked at all three men in disbelief, "You are all as mad as each other," she finally said. And then took a deep breath, "I have one last question," she finally said, "why Ron, Harry? I mean he has been Hermione's and yours best friend for…"

"Five years?!" the Boy-Who-Lived looked at her furiously, "Don't you think I know that, Tonks?! Don't you think that it tears me apart to even ask you for this?! But Hermione is missing and I can't just sit and do nothing. I would give anything, anything to be proven wrong. And I really hope that I will be. So just please do as I ask and put me out of this misery."

His explosion seemed to have a calming influence on the Auror. Her face softened and she nodded her head, "Don't worry Harry, I'll do as you ask."

XXX

Ron Weasley was not having a good day. Better said he was not having a good year. And it all had started so well. During the summer he and Hermione had got together and Harry had been such a mess that he relied on his best male friend in pretty much everything. For the first time in his life Ron felt really good about himself. He was becoming a corner stone of the golden trio and was sure that the coming year would only allow him to strengthen his position.

And then when they got back to Hogwarts it all went pear shaped. First Hermione and then Harry had slowly pushed him away and turned their trio into a Golden Duo. And Ron would have bet his own life that, it had been because of Draco Malfoy. That Slytherin snake had somehow managed to slither his way into the Gryffindor's Princess good grace and as usually Harry followed her lead like a lamb to the slaughter.

Oh, how much Ron hated the Malfoy heir. He would do anything to see him in a prison cell next to his father but it seemed that his best attempts were deemed to fail as the Slytherin evaded every trap.

But not this time! The Order would turn the earth upside down to find Hermione and Malfoy was a prime suspect. He would have no other choice than to hide for the rest of his life. Ron knew Harry well enough to know that the Boy-Who-Lived loved Hermione like a sister and would not rest until he had got the one who had hurt her.

Ron's thoughts were interrupted by a quiet pop and all over sudden he was looking into a pair of mad eyes.

"Hello, Weasley," Bellatrix voice was full of malice. "Have you missed me already?"

For a moment he froze and then his heart jumped in his chest, "What are you doing here?" he hissed looking around wildly to make sure that no one from his family was around.

Bellatrix' smile became even wider, "Oh, just keeping you informed, that your bushy haired friend is no longer with us so you don't have anything to worry about."

Ron grounded his teeth, "I don't want to know that," he grumbled.

"You don't?" she asked mockingly, "And I thought you'd sleep a lot better knowing that if you couldn't have her than no one else would. Isn't it why you delivered her to me?"

Ron inwardly cringed and his temper flared, "If all you wanted was to pass me the message then consider it done. Now get out before you get both of us in trouble."

She laughed lightly, "Relax, Redhead. Your friends are too busy looking for my nephew to pay any attention to you. So while they are chasing him let's take the opportunity and continue with our plans. I am here to pass you a message from our Lord."

Ron's face cringed, "I have no Lord," he muttered not sounding too sure of himself.

Bellatrix' expression of amusement turned into one of complete boredom, "Oh, come on, Weasley, we both know it's not true so stop being a tedious bore." Her face hardened and she continued in a more business like tone, though her mocking smile was still firmly in place. "Now our Lord, in all his great wisdom, has thought about something that could really further our course."

Resigning that he would have to at least listen to her, Ron tried to make his face seem indifferent which only caused Bellatrix to snort. However, she continued as if she had not noticed anything. "The task that our Lord has decided to bestow on you is to find out if the Order of the Phoenix has a spy among the Death Eaters. It's not that the Dark Lord has any particular suspicions but one cannot be too trusty in the times of war."

For a moment Ron's expression clouded, he really did not want to do another task for Bellatrix. However, this one was not particularly bad. It was easy to do since he already knew who the spy was. And it would help him to rid himself and everyone else of Snape - the greasy git that made everybody's life miserable. It would be a lot better term in Hogwarts without the dungeon bat to spoil all the fun. No, it was definitely a good task and if he played his cards right perhaps he could leverage something extra out of it.

Ron carefully eyed Bellatrix, his brows furrowed in concentration, "And what will I get if I provide such information?" he asked.

Bellatrix mouth twisted into a cruel smirk, "How about being alive and well and not in Azkaban?" she asked.

Ron shuddered but stubbornly shook his head, "No, that's not good enough. You have nothing against me, no prove that I have delivered the mudblood to you. It's not like you can march into the Ministry and try and convince them in person. And killing me will not get you anything. So stop trying to threaten me and tell me what would be my reward if I identify a spy that the Order has among the Death Eaters."

For a second Bellatrix looked like she was about to hex the redhead and it took all the courage that Ron possessed to keep the eye contact with the witch. But the next moment the woman threw her head back and laughed, clapping her hands. "Well done, Weasley. You just proved that I have not been mistaken in you. I told the Dark Lord that you were not just vindictive but also venal. You'll make a great asset to our side. Now what do you want?"

"I want money," Ron did not hesitate, "I want my own vault in Gringotts and 20,000 galleons. And I want the same amount when I deliver the name to you."

Bellatrix cocked her head to the side, "Aren't you asking for a bit too much Weasley?"

"Not at all," Ron's mouth twisted into a crooked smile, "Unless you want to keep things as they are. Having a spy in the inner circle of Death Eaters must be fun."

Her face hardened, "What do you mean?"

Ron was now firmly enjoying himself, "What do you think? Or perhaps you will just rely on Snape to provide you with such information?" he pretended to look thoughtful for a minute, "or are you asking for my help because you are worried that he's perhaps the one delivering information to Dumbledore on a silver plate?"

Bellatrix blanched visibly and Ron looked at her triumphantly. However his joy was short lived as a calm silky voice interrupted the silence, "I think we've heard quiet enough, don't you agree, Lupin?"

Ron spun around and saw the figures of Severus Snape and Remus Lupin appear from thin air. The werewolf looked like somebody had just stabbed him in the gut whereas Snape's expression was not much different from his usual one with the same sneer plastered on his face.

Ron's fingers squeezed his wand tight but before he could even think of a spell it flew out of his hand and he himself landed hard on the ground. When he managed to raise his head he saw Bellatrix calmly pocketing his wand as her hair turned from black into bright pink. Tonk's expression was grim but it was no match to the murderous look of the bright green eyes that stared at the redhead.

Harry Potter surveyed his former friend with a mixture of burning hatred and disgust and his voice was icy cold when he spoke up, "First Hermione, now Snape… How much were you going to ask for my head, Weasley?" Without another word the Boy-Who-Lived turned on his heels and headed to the Burrow.

**Reviews are very welcome.**


	31. Chapter 29

**Hi All! I am really sorry for a very-very long pause in my writing. Between not having any free time and having a writing block I almost thought that I would have to put this story on hiatus. **

**However, thanks to my friend Laisan who convinced me to finish this fic, I have now almost completed the story so can promise at least one update a week. In order to bring you up to speed I start this chapter with a short summary of events so far.**

**As usual thank you for taking time to read my story. Your attention is much appreciated and reviews are very welcome.**

**Turning the Wheel of Fortune Summary **

_During the summer holidays after the 5__th__ year Hermione meets Draco Malfoy at a Muggle music store. She discovers that there is a lot more to the Slytherin than just Muggle hating and this gives Hermione an idea to turn him to the side of Light. _

_On their return to Hogwarts Hermione half begs/half blackmails Draco to teach her Occlumency so that she could help Harry. The Slytherin and the Gryffindor Princess start spending significant time together through Occlumency training as well as several accidental and not so accidental encounters. Soon, though reluctantly, they develop feelings for each other, which is helped by Ron showing his true colours and breaking up with Hermione. _

_The young witch pursues her initial plan of recruiting Draco's help for Harry but quickly realises that he is not going to do it for nothing. She suggests setting up an organisation aimed at those in the wizarding world who do not like Death Eaters but at the same time don't trust Muggle-loving Order of the Phoenix. After confronting Harry and securing his reluctant support United Association of Wizards is born. _

_The relationship between all characters develops further. Harry is found out to be dating Fleur Delacour who arrives to Hogwarts to take an apprenticeship with Madam Pomfrey. He then finds out that Draco Malfoy is Fleur's and Gabrielle's cousin. Draco's Veela's inheritance comes into play and Hermione bonds to him. After a nearly death encounter with Voldermot, Draco realises that Hermione is the one for him and in a typically Slytherin fashion convinces her to complete the bond. Unfortunately for him Ron Weasley spies on the Slytherin's conversation with the two Veela sisters and decides to take revenge._

_Severus Snape who is playing two masters in the hope of saving his life realises that there is more happening at Hogwarts than meets the eyes and also finds out about the bonded couples. He helps out during the launch of UAW during a Yule ball when Draco's Slytherin ways of fighting again come into play. _

_Hermione and Draco fight but manage to sort everything out but when she returns to Grimmauld Place she's kidnapped and brought to Malfoy Manor to Bellatrix Lestrange. Luckily for her, Lucius interferes and saves the Gryffindor witch, killing both his sister-in-law and her husband in the process._

_The older Malfoy helps Hermione escape and she makes it safely to Draco and Harry. All of them then travel to Delacour Manor where they meet Severus Snape who is romantically involved with Delacour's half-sister, Isabelle. Together they find out that it was Ron Weasley who betrayed them._

Chapter 31

Harry Potter felt sick. He physically felt sick as if his insides were turning inside out from a boiling mix of emotions raging in him. Angry did not describe it, disappointed - did not come close to how he felt: betrayed, hurt, vengeful…

Though Ron and him were not as close this year as they had been before, Harry would never have thought that his best friend since first year would deceive him, turn against him and cooperate with his worst enemy - the person he hated probably more than Voldermot himself. Bellatrix had killed Sirius, she had deprived Harry of any hope to have a father figure in his life. And because of Ron, she came close to killing Hermione - his sister in everything else but blood.

When Harry heard the redhead's confession made under the veritaserum the only thing that stopped him from casting an Unforgivable, was the thought that between the Malfoys and Snape, Ron's future looked less than bleak. And for once Harry was more than happy to land a helping hand to the Slytherins. Thinking back the Gryffindor wizard realised that he'd been collaborating with them for quite some time. Ever since Hermione had convinced him and Malfoy to work together, he probably spent more time in the Slytherins' company than without it. And if Harry was honest with himself he enjoyed himself.

For too long he had been cooped up in a little box that revolved around misery of the Dursleys household, fighting Voldermot and being a Gryffindor. He felt as if life was passing him by and all he had been allowed to do were chores either in the Little Whinging, for his aunt Petunia, or at Hogwarts for Dumbledore and the Order.

His first step outside these tight confines of his existence was when he met Fleur at Gringotts one day during the summer holidays when he used his invisibility cloak to run away from the Dursleys and the Order to get some money so he could buy food and some new clothes for himself.

The French witch had treated him very friendly and did not even bat an eyelash when he asked her to keep his visit secret. She simply cast a glamour spell and invited him for lunch. The rest, as they say, was history. Fleur was the first who introduced Harry to what it meant to be a teenager. They went shopping, when he managed to escape his watchers; clubbing, when she snuck him out of his house during a night and apparated with him into Muggle London and once she even slipped into his house under the invisibility clock.

If not for Fleur, he probably would have gone mental with grief for Sirius. She soothed his guilt. She treated him just like a normal guy, not the Boy-Who-Lived. And she taught him the most important lesson: to live and enjoy life, not just survive from year to year.

He missed her terribly when he got back to Hogwarts, but luckily Hermione was there, she helped him learn Occlumency and he would be forever grateful to her, for the simple blessing of being able to sleep.

And then she brought Malfoy into the picture… At first Harry highly doubted that anything useful would come from such ally. Him and the Slytherin Prince always rubbed each other the wrong way. But with time, his opinion changed. He still did not particularly like Malfoy. The blond Slytherin had numerous annoying traits and his morals were very dubious as far as Harry was concerned. But Draco was a clandestine of knowledge for the Gryffindor and Harry quickly learned that he did not have to like Malfoy to be able to learn and work with him.

And what was more important that Malfoy was willing to tell and teach him things that no one else would. The first revelations about Harry's heritage and fortune that Draco had provided became the first crack that had developed in Harry's perception of the wizarding world as he knew it. And the further he went the more he realised that his knowledge of that world, his world, was incredibly poor. Though he had been living in it for the past 6 years, outside Hogwarts curriculum, he had experienced and learnt almost nothing.

Harry regretted that he did not make such a consorted effort to learn as Hermione had done, but he also felt that people around had failed him miserably. At least Hermione had an excuse of being Muggle-born and at any rate she was not the bloody Boy-Who-Lived, saviour of the wizarding world and as it turned out an heir to a large estate and Potter's fortune. With all the talk that Dumbledore and the Order had been giving him about his importance and their support they had done very little to prepare him for his role.

His knowledge of wizarding traditions and customs was only formed by spending a couple of weeks each year among the Weasleys who, with all their good nature and intentions, were extremely chaotic and incredibly poor. His skill in Defence against the Dark Arts was only formed by a stream of inadequate teachers and the actual Dark Arts were completely unknown to him.

Taking all this into account, he could easily see why he had such troubles fighting off Voldermot for the past 6 years and even more troubles trying to convince the wizarding world of Dark Lord's comeback.

Some part of Harry was telling him that everybody around him was trying to protect him and give him some semblance of normal childhood. But what they did not realise was that he did not have a normal childhood, he was not a normal kid and that in order to survive he needed every possible skill.

He had wasted enough time doing nothing and now Harry was determined to learn as much as he could and make his own decision instead of following others like a lamb to a slaughter. He had to survive this war so that he could be with Fleur and become a man that she deserved. And the only way to do was to learn to behave more like a Slytherin, to think first about himself and those close to him and then everybody else.

These decisions did not come to him overnight, it took long time of working with Draco and Blaise, observing Fleur and Gabi interact with their cousin and his friend and seeing Hermione and Draco together, but at the end Harry came to the conclusion that Slytherins were not innately bad and in the times of war their skills were coming in very useful. That's why when Blaise approached him just before Snape was about to apparate them both from the Delacour Manor with that plan of his, Harry had agreed without hesitation.

Now he sat on the stairs just outside the room where Dumbledore was cooped up with the senior members of the Order deciding the fate of the youngest Weasley boy. Ron was locked up in his room with his wand taken away from him. It was sure to say that he was unlikely to get it back.

If Snape was right, and Harry had no reason to believe otherwise, there were not many options left for the young Weasley. He had intimate knowledge of the Order, its members and Harry and could not be risked to go back to Voldermot or one of his followers. Azkaban had been shown to be no more secure than an open house with Dementors now openly supporting Voldermot, and the Ministry was full of spies so that the Order could not risk placing Ron with them.

Grimmauld place had no space in the dungeon and moreover there was nobody there to guard the prisoners. Hogwarts was out of the question for obvious reasons and there were no other Manors that belonged to the Order members that could be turned into a prison. The two options left were Avada Kedavra or Obliviations of different degrees. Using an Unforgivable on a Weasley was out of the questions so obliviation was likely to be a chosen punishment.

In case of Ron a nearly completely obliviation would be suggested, which would practically turn him into a state similar to Gilderoy Lockhart. Harry could easily imagine how this sentence would be taken by the rest of the Weasleys. This family was devoted to the side of light but they were even more devoted to each other. That was what Blaise was banking on and it would be up to Harry to push them in the right directions.

For now their plan went without a hitch. Harry was particularly pleased that Snape somehow managed to prevent Ron from revealing any information about the relationship between Hermione and Malfoy as well as any involvement of the Delacour sisters. How the Head of Slytherin House accomplished it when he was not left alone with the prisoner for even a single moment was unknown to Harry. But he could bet his life that some powerful dark magic was involved.

His thoughts were interrupted by the doors bursting open and Dumbledore marching out of the kitchen.

"Albus, please, you cannot be serious," Arthur Weasley's was visibly shaking.

"I am afraid, I am, Arthur," Dumbledore's expression was grave. "I have to think about the safety of all of us involved. Your son knows too much, and if this information gets into the hands of Voldermot, it would put an effective end to all of our efforts. We might as well just give ourselves up."

"But he is just a kid, Albus," Molly Weasley's voice was hoarse from crying. "I know what he did was awful, but he is still underaged. You cannot be serious suggesting to permanently obliviate him."

The Headmaster turned to them for a moment, his face grim. "I have no other choice, Molly, I am sorry." He stood and looked at the rest of the Order, "It has to be done." He repeated and his eyes turned to Snape, "Severus?" Though it was one word, everybody knew that it was an order. The Potions Master inclined his head and Dumbledore exited without another word.

After he left Molly collapsed onto her husband her body shaking with sobs. The rest of the Order did not know what to do. They stood helplessly for a few moments and then started to disperse. Snape and Harry exchanged quick looks and as the dark haired wizard disappeared into the library, Harry made his way into the kitchen where the Weasleys were still gathered.

The Gryffindor had never seen the large family so subdued. Molly was crying with Mr Weasley patting her on her back with shaking hands. Bill and Charlie were seating staring at the fire and the twins clung together, their fiery tempers failing them for the first time in their life. Harry knew that it was time for him to step in.

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Severus Snape was not a patient man by nature but years of potion making and spying had honed his waiting skills to perfection. Now he was seated calmly in the library of Grimmauld Place reading a book. He had already played his part in the first act which went without a hitch and the Potion's Master could only congratulate himself on his foresight.

All these months ago when somebody had betrayed Draco to the Ministry, he suspected that this person had been Ron Weasley and that he had somehow found out about young Malfoy's relationship with Granger. Severus did not have concrete proof and without it he could not risk going against the Weasley clan. So instead he utilized the Slytherin tactic of waiting and plotting, which resulted in him creating a DNA triggered secrecy potion that prevented the taker from even mentioning the name of the benefactor.

Slipping it into veritaserum he administered to the young Weasley was a piece of cake and the result was that the boy was unable to as much as say Draco's name. So instead of blubbering all out about him and Granger, all that came out was that Hermione had bonded to somebody which adults naturally assumed had been Potter. With Order none the wiser, thanks for Severus' skill, the plan was safely on its way and Potter was currently delivering the final blows to the Weasleys.

The boy had surprised Severus earlier when Blaise had informed them of his plan, which no doubt was a joint effort between him and Draco. The Potion Master was proud of his charges' thought process. They had grown up to be true Slytherins and were wise enough to let Blaise front the plan. Draco and Potter had never seen eye to eye being too much of the alpha males. The quiet Slytherin, however, did not cause the same competitive feelings of animosity in the Gryffindor, especially now that they were dating Delacour sisters.

The thought made Severus cringe as a small voice reminded him that Isabelle was also a Delacour, which made Potter his future brother-in-law. But the dark haired wizard quickly pushed the idea aside focusing instead on a quite an amusing notion that James Potter was probably turning in his grave from the same thought.

Anyhow Snape had to admit that the Boy-Who-Lived had come a long way in the last year. Without annoying influence of his Gryffindor buddies and subtle encouragement of Fleur, Draco and Blaise, he became a lot less foolish and did not any longer wish to ride on his high horse into an early grave and instead wanted to win the war and stay alive - a sentiment that Severus could whole heartedly appreciate. That's why the Potion Master had agreed to disclosing his relationship with Isabelle to both Potter and Granger.

Fleur had been asking him to do it for a while, not wanting to have secrets from her fiancée. And now that Potter had decent Occlumency shields Snape was fairly safe to do so. Plus it provided Severus with a few minutes of great amusement when he watched two Gryffindor turning into perfect impersonations of fish. He could finally claim that he had rendered Hermione Granger speechless.

If Severus was honest with himself, he had no longer resented the Gryffindor witch as he used to. She had come a long way from a bucktoothed know-it-all and her idea of a centre-based organisation positioned between Dumbledore and Voldermot was indeed brilliant. It would give Severus a lot more chances of survival and he was happy to do anything to aid UAW.

Turning the Weasleys would be a big success. They were the strong hold of the Order and the four oldest sons were very strong magically. Perhaps only Lupin could compare to them and Severus was sure that Lupin already would first and foremost support his dead friends' son and not the Headmaster.

His thoughts were interrupted by a door opening and he saw the whole Weasley clan marching into the library closely followed by Harry Potter.

"Severus…" Arthur Weasley's voice shook and the wizard had to pause to compose himself.

"You've heard Headmaster's orders, Arthur," Snape's voice was firm but lacked its usual sneer. "It's for the safety of the Order."

"Yes," Mr Weasley paused again, "But I am coming to you not as a member of the Order, but as a father about to lose a child." His voice shook and he looked at Snape pleadingly, "Please, Severus, have mercy on us. I am not asking you to let him go, but don't be too server, perhaps a strong memory block…"

Snape's face turned into a scowl, "I am surprised at your audacity, Weasley. You are asking me to spare your good-for-nothing off-spring after he was ready to give me up to the Dark Lord? Have you forgotten who you are talking to?"

Mr Weasley lowered his head, "Of course not, Severus, but I am a father. I had to try… One day, perhaps, you'll understand…" he broke off.

At that moment there was a loud noise and the door burst open revealing Hermione rushing into the room closely followed by Blaise Zabini and Lupin.

"Harry!" she screamed and jumped into his hands.

"Hermione" the Boy-Who-Lived buried his head into her mane of the hair, the two of them clinging to each other displaying to all present a perfect image of a couple reunited.

Severus Snape allowed his face to turn into a sneer though mentally applauding the Gryffindor performance.

"Hermione," Lupin interrupted," how did you escape?"

The Gryffindor witch pulled out of Harry's embrace and turned to the quiet Slytherin, "He saved me. I was imprisoned into the dungeons of the Malfoy Manor. Bellatrix left and then Blaise came in and lead me down some pathway outside and then apparated me away…"

"It's a commendable act, Mr Zabini," Snape's voice was quiet but it brought all attention back to him.

Hermione looked around, "Where is Ron?" she asked.

Everybody in the room fell silent. Then Harry spoke up, "That what we're discussing here. Ron was behind your kidnapping and Dumbledore sentenced him to complete Obliviation."

Hermione's face cringed. "I don't want that," she said. "He should be put in prison, not into a mental ward."

The Weasleys clung to her words, "You see," Charlie spoke up, "even Hermione thinks that obliviation is too much of a punishment."

"And what do you suggest, Mr Weasley that I let him go?" Snape sneered.

"No," the twins shouted together.

Snape glared at them and instead directed his question to their father, "Mr Weasley, I would consider your suggestion but only if you answer one question, where would your son reside afterwards. St Mungos won't take him or are you suggesting that we just release him into the wild?"

The group fell silent and then erupted in suggestions, one more unrealistic than the other. However, they were interrupted by Blaise raising his voice.

"I have a solution," he said calmly.

Everybody stared at him and the Italian continued calmly, "I am a member of UAW, our organisation had sat up an alternative wizarding prison since we are at times of war but we do not want to kill or permanently disable wizards and witches caught in the conflict. The prison is located in the French Mountains; it is secure, yet humane and fairly comfortable. It's guarded by Centauries. I am fairly certain that Ron Weasley could be placed there with some memory altering charms."

Mrs Weasley's broken expression lit up with such hope that made two Gryffindors in the room feel guilty. But her older son was more suspicious of this sudden help.

"And why would you be offering us your help, Mr Zabini?"

The Italian smiled lightly, "You don't have to worry, Bill, I am not doing it purely out of the goodness of my heart. Being a Slytherin I would like to ask for something in return. UAW recognises that the Dark Lord is a threat to all wizarding society. However, we do not belief that the Order of the Phoenix will be able to win this war because of its ideology. It's simply is not very attractive to the powerful pureblood and half blood families. Therefore though our current goals are similar to that of the Order we would not collaborate with it. But we will support him," he pointed at Harry. "Potter is an heir to an old wizarding family. He was deprived of his heritage so far but it's not his fault and the situation could be remedied with time. So to put it simply, I can offer you help from UAW on the condition that you pledge your loyalties to Harry James Potter in preference to the Order of the Phoenix."

His words were followed by silence and it was Bill again who turned to Harry, "Are you in on this?" he asked his eyes gleaming with suspicion.

Harry held his gaze firmly, "I know about UAW," he said carefully, "but I did not come up with the proposal that Zabini's just made." Harry still felt guilty with this technical truth. "However, I do think we should collaborate with UAW. We need all the help we can get to defeat Voldermot and if that requires working with moderate purebloods then so be it."

At his response Charlie frowned, "So you are ready to betray Dumbledore?"

Harry sighed shaking his head. "I am not betraying Dumbledore, what I am saying is that Dumbledore's tactics might not be enough in this war and if I have to work with other people to aid the Order, then I will."

"But Dumbledore treats you like his grandson!" Arthur exclaimed shocked by the calm collectiveness of the Gryffindor.

"And he just ordered Ron to be permanently obliviated," Harry shot out and seeing the stricken face of Mrs Weasley apologised, "I am sorry… What I am trying to say is that we live in times when tough decisions have to be made, most of which are the choices between lesser of two evils. And in my eyes anything that can help defeating Voldermot is worth a try."

The room fell into silence again, which this time was interrupted by Snape. "It's all nice and well but we are still no further," his voice was bland as usual. "On my side I am willing to evaluate Mr Zabini's option once I know that the prison is secure. Then perhaps a strong memory block could be considered as an option for Mr Weasley."

Charlie who was so far quiet turned to Snape, "So you are supporting this UAW as well?" he asked.

Snape glared at him but the young wizard was not about to back down. "If you must know, Mr Weasley, I have no interest in becoming a part of another organisation. My two current memberships are plenty as it is. What you decide with regard to Mr Zabini's offer is entirely up to you and holds no concern to me. All I care about is that Mr Weasley represents no further danger to the Order and those associated with it. The way it is achieved is irrelevant to me."

This response provided no help to the Weasley family who were looking at each other trying to come up with a solution. It was all happening too fast. The decision they had to take was enormous but there was no delaying it. It was clear that they all wanted to save Ron from his fate but at the same time it was difficult to judge what they were committing themselves to in return and would it bring their whole family down at the end.

This time it was Hermione who interrupted the silence.

"Mrs Weasley, Mr Weasley," she started and looked around the four young red-heads indicating that she was addressing all of them, "I am really sorry that it has come to this. I know I've hurt Ron, I did not mean to, he has been my friend for the last five years… But you can't help who you fall for. And I always been honest with him." She saw frown on Molly's face and quickly continued, "But it's not important at the moment. What's important is that we save him. He is young and rushed and though what he's done was awful, I think in time, he would come to regret it and would hopefully become a better man. I don't want him to lose this chance. I don't want to think that what he'd done to me had let him to be in such state. And I think that the offer from UAW is a good one. You are supporting Harry anyway, whether it's done through the Order or directly does not matter." She turned to Blaise, "Would Mr and Mrs Weasley be able to see the prison beforehand?"

The Italian nodded, "A short visit could be arranged," he calmly replied.


	32. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Ron Weasley woke up to a light that was streaming down from a large window. He sat up rubbing his head and looked around in confusion. His head felt heavy as if he had a bludger knock him out at full speed. Rubbing his forehead he looked around trying to figure out where he was.

It was a large room with high ceiling and white walls, sparsely furnished with a large bed that he currently lay on in one corner, a table and a chair in the middle and a small wardrobe at the opposite side. Though all furniture was new and the room was very clean, it somehow did not feel right to Ron. He definitely did not recognise his surroundings and when he tried to remember how he ended up in this place, his headache became so much worth that he quickly gave up on that idea.

Not sure of what to do Ron got up from the bed and ignoring his spinning head walked towards the door. The fact that when he pulled the handle - it did not open, did not surprise him for some reason, though his stomach did sink that bit lower. Trying not to panic he headed over to the window. What he saw did not make him feel any better. The view from the room was magnificent. He was looking out from somewhere on top a cliff onto a vast expanse of sparkling blue water that merged with the same colour sky near the horizon. The bad part was that the view was obscured by thick bars that covered the window without any site of a lock that could be opened.

For a minute Ron stood still staring at the view in front of him trying desperately to remember how he had ended up in this room. He even tried to ignore the splitting headache that was threatening to render him unconscious. However, all he was drawing was a complete blank. He remembered that he was Ron Weasley, a pureblood wizard, he remember his family and his time at Hogwarts. He even remembered the death of Sirius Black but afterwards everything was meddled together. He could remember separate images and scenes but there were huge chunks that were missing.

Feeling incredibly frustrated Ron hit the wall with his feast and let out a scream which was combination of both physical and psychological pain. As if in answer to the noise he made he heard the door open.

Swinging around he came face to face with none other than Draco Malfoy.

"Hello Weasley," the blond Slytherin was a picture of his usual arrogant self and Ron had to resist the urge to lunge at his long time foe.

"Ferret," he replied, "what are you doing here?"

Malfoy smirked, "I think you should be more interested in what **you** are doing here," he remarked coldly and his smile turned mocking, "Since I don't think you have a clue, do you?"

Ron did not have anything to say to this and decided to remain silent.

"Just as I thought," Malfoy continued, "Severus does know what he's doing."

"Snape?" Ron narrowed his eyes, "What does he have to do with this?"

"You don't remember?" Malfoy was definitely enjoying himself. "What a shame, but as I said, Severus is a pro. And his memory blocks are considered to be the best in the wizarding world."

"Memory blocks?" Ron spluttered, "What are you talking about?"

Malfoy smiled and the site of that smile made Ron's spirit sink to an all time low. For a moment the Slytherin seemed to contemplate something and then he spoke, his voice laced with combination of disdain and loathing, "I thought long and hard about what to tell you. You see, what you did, made me want to kill you with my bare hands, but unfortunately I don't have such luxury, so I had to use my Slytherin brains to come up with something else. And I think I just managed. You see, Weasley, physically you will remain in good health. However, your wand has been snapped in two so you are unable to do magic. Also all relevant memories of yours have been blocked, which means you'll never remember what exactly you did that landed you in here with the blessing of your friends and family.

But what you will know is that because of that I have achieved one of the biggest political victories in the wizarding world. That now your family would be doing exactly what I want out of their own free will. And also that everything that you wanted in life will now be mine, your friends, your life and your woman." He paused and his piercing blue eyes stared at Ron in contempt, "I can see you struggling to remember. Be my guest and continue to do so. You have a few decades ahead of you to do that and if I am lucky it will very slowly drive you mad, the half memories that you still have will nag at your subconscious but the gaps will always remain just out of your reach. I think I will enjoy watching you slowly go insane."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Hermione lay on her bed staring into the ceiling. Her mind was buzzing but at the same time it was blank. So many things had happened in the last twenty four hours. So many things that even her highly developed brain could not cope with.

She experienced such fear when she was kidnapped by Bellatrix and such immense relief when she once again was in Draco's arms. And then it all turned into a horrible feeling of betrayal when it turned out that Ron was behind it. Afterwards it seemed like a surreal play being acted around her with Dumbledore sentencing Ron to obliviation and Mrs Weasley's tears and then Blaize showing up and offering an alternative prison sentence to Ron.

A big part of Hermione hated the fact that they were manipulating the Weasleys. Of course it was better for Ron to have only partial memory blocks placed on him and then be sent to that prison in Italy that was set up by UAW. But she knew that the only reason Draco came up with the idea was because he wanted Weasley's support for Harry against Dumbledore. Her Gryffindor nature was protesting against such underhanded game. But at the same time she did not have an alternative plan.

Maybe if Harry had really protested against Draco's plan, she might have supported him, but the Boy-Who-Lived only smiled grimly and nodded his head. And the way Snape and Harry acted the whole thing out? She never would have thought her friend capable of such Slytherin behaviour. But then she herself participated in their show, waiting for the right moment to apparate with Blaize and throwing herself at Harry, confirming to everybody present that he was indeed the one she dated.

Hermione still saw in front of her a broken face of Mr Weasley and grim faces of Bill and Charlie who had to witness Snape delivering the curse to Ron. She forced herself to watch Ron's unconscious form as he was apparated to his new prison. And afterward she left to her room. All she wanted was to curl up and cry herself to sleep, hoping against hope that when she woke up, it would all turn up to be a dream. But tears did not come to her face and she lay in her dark room waiting for the tiredness to finally catch up with her.

The quiet creek of her door made her raise her head and she saw Harry stepping in. He walked straight to her and the next moment she was in his arms and tears finally came. She was sobbing on his shoulder and he tenderly rubbed her back.

"Sshhh," she heard his quiet voice, "don't cry Hermione. He's not worth it."

"I am not crying for him", her voice shook and she tried to rein her tears, "I am crying for all of us. I... I never thought that we would be doing things like this. We deliberately lied to the Weasleys, to Dumbledore, to the rest of the Order. I don't know how..." she paused as the fresh tears spilled from her eyes, "I don't know how to live with this..."

Harry tightened his embrace on her, "We did what we had to do, Hermione. Ron did a horrible thing and if we did not interfere he would be by now sharing a ward with Lockhart. This way at least, he'll remain sane. And the fact that Snape did not let him tell everybody about us is a good thing. If the truth had come out, you, me and Fleur would have been in terrible danger and Malfoy would have been probably dead by now." Feeling her shudder he hurried to continue, "You know how I feel about Snape, but this time I am almost tempted to thank him for his Slytherin ways. That potion of his that stopped Ron from giving us up saved more than one life."

His measured words were like a balm to Hermione's guilty ridden soul and for the first time since he came in she was able to look up into his eyes. They were their usual beautiful green but there was something different in them, as if Harry has matured years within just few hours. "So you are really alright with Draco's plan and actions?" she asked a hint of curiosity in her voice.

Harry rubbed his eyes tiredly and sighed. "I am not a big fan of his methods," he admitted. "But at the moment we don't have a choice." His eyes looked at her pleadingly, "I want to live, Hermione. I want to survive this war and considering how slim are my chances I want to do everything to increase them. And using Malfoy's tactics, I think, might just give me a hope."

Hermione smiled at him gently. "I understand and don't blame you, Harry. It's just when I started this whole thing, trying to turn Draco into our ally, I did not even think that it would come to this. I know that I was probably incredibly naive but I just could not imagine... And sometimes I am scared that I've dragged you into this..." She stopped not knowing how to continue.

Harry smiled at her, "You did not drag me into anything, Hermione. You just tried to help and I think you did. I am now more in control of my destiny than ever before. And I have you and Fleur to thank for this." His face softened as a mention of the French witch and Hermione felt a smile tugging on the corners of her lips for the first time that evening.

"I am so glad that you've found her."

Harry nodded and then grimaced, "I'd love to say the same about you and Malfoy," he muttered.

"I won't force you," Hermione decided to keep the mood light and succeeded when the Boy-Who-Lived chuckled.

"That's very nice of you," he added. "I..." he paused for a second and then looked at her tentatively, "I'm just curious... What made you fall for Malfoy? I know he's good looking and rich, but I know you and you are not the type of girl to go just for the looks and money."

Hermione's face lit up with a gentle smile, "You're right," she said softly. "I don't really know how it all started. I think in the beginning it was just curiosity when I realised that there was a lot more to him than an arrogant pure blooded prat. Then I discovered that he was incredibly intelligent and could be really romantic and funny. But..." she paused and lowered her eyes, "You see, all my life I had to be responsible for everything. I was always very mature and have been treated accordingly by my parents, teachers, even my friends. If they got into trouble, they would come to me and I would have to sort things out. And the older I got, the more it became that way. Even with you and Ron... I loved you to bits and I knew that you would do anything for me but so many times you would be in danger and I would feel that I had to help and protect you. That's why I studied like mad, so that I would have the knowledge."

She paused and her eyes became distant. "With Draco - it's all different. For the first time ever, I was able to let go and give the responsibility to him. He knows so much about wizarding world and there is no surprise there, he was born in it. Me and you, Harry, we have so much to learn and at the same time we are thrust into the middle of things. I can see why some purebloods resent us. We don't know about their way of living and at the same time we come in and for lack of a better word mess with it..." She paused again trying to collect her thoughts, "I guess what really made me fell for Draco, was that he made me feel safe and loved and I can only hope that I make him feel the same way."

She did not expect the Gryffindor boy to answer and was surprised when she heard his soft voice, "Then I guess he deserves you." She looked up and saw a gentle smile light up his features. "You are the sister I've never had, Hermione. And I am sorry I was not a big protective brother who could shield you from the horrors of the world. I want you to be happy but I've always known that I could not give you what you wanted. And now I see that Malfoy does just that. And I also know that he really loves you. I've seen him when you were kidnapped. And we both know how good he is in hiding his own feelings. He looked broken, like he was physically in pain. I know he's bonded to you and I've read a lot about it when it happened to me. Fleur brought me all these books... But even though I had known I sometimes doubted Malfoy's true feelings." He gave her a crooked smile, "You know old prejudice die hard. But now I know that his feelings towards you are sincere and for that I could forgive him a lot of things."

"Thank you, Harry," Hermione's eyes were brimming with big tears.

At that moment there was a soft knock on the window and the two of them saw a large black Eagle hovering next to it.

The beautiful bird has delivered a large package, which contained a black suit with an equally black shirt and the same colour dress. It also had a note written in the same elegant hand writing as Hermione had seen before.

_"Be ready on New Year's Eve at 11 pm."_

It was not signed by the young witch did not need to see the signature to know that it came from the blond Slytherin. The package contained another note definitely written in a female hand writing which Harry recognised as Fleur's.

_"I'll be waiting for you."_

No matter how brief these messages were it was obvious that they were invited to some party on New Year's Eve and were supposed to wear the clothes sent to them. So after an hour of guessing on where and what it would be the two Gryffindors resigned to simply wait.

**Thank you all for kind reviews. As promised here is another update.**


	33. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Harry and Hermione had a very subdued Christmas with the Weasleys and the Order spending most of the time just with the two of them. Finally the time was kind enough to move forward and on the New Year's Eve they were both ready.

Harry looked strikingly good in his dark outfit and Hermione had to admit that the black dress she wore was a lot more revealing that she was used to but made her feel more beautiful than ever before.

They waited in Hermione's room not knowing how they would be collected when there was a quiet knock on the door and Snape walked in. He had abandoned his robes for the sake of suit very similar to Harry's and had reminded both Gryffindors of the person they saw in the Delacour's estate.

"Potter, Miss Granger," he greeted them, "I am glad that you're ready." He then took out of his pocket a ring with a huge red ruby in the middle and motioned them towards him, offering his arm to Hermione. Awkwardly she placed her hand in the crook of his arm and following Snape's instructions hooked her other arm through Harry's. The moment they were done Snape placed the ring on his middle finger and the world around them started to spin. It only took a few seconds and they found themselves in a large room that was lit by myriad of floating candles.

"Where are we?" Hermione could not contain her curiosity any longer.

Before Snape could answer, Draco walked into the room, followed closely by Fleur.

Hermione immediately let go of Snape's arm and rushed towards the blond Slytherin, "Draco," she cried out. He engulfed her in his embrace, whispering her name as he buried his face in her hair.

The Gryffindor witch found that the tension that had been gripping her body for days was slowly letting go in his embrace, however it did not last as long as she hoped. Draco let go of her and stepped back. Seeing the disappointment on her face, he smiled apologetically, "I am sorry, Hermione, unfortunately this is not the place," he added. "We need to hurry, he is waiting."

"Who is waiting?" she asked not managing to hide her displeasure.

"My great-great-great grandfather," he answered.

"You brought me to the Malfoy Manor?" Hermione could not contain a shiver.

"No," he retorted, "Of course not. This is a different place, you'll see."

With these words he took her hand and led her towards the door. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that Harry and Fleur were following them, while Snape disappeared somewhere.

They walked through a number of corridors and finally reached beautifully ornate doors that were guarded by six tall, dark-haired men. It seemed that they had been expected as the doors swung open and they were ushered into a large chamber decorated in deep blue colours. There was a small gathering of people scattered around the room and Hermione immediately recognised Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, Snape and Isabelle Delacour, Blaize and Gabrielle and a pair that she presumed were Mônsenior and Madam Delacour.

All of them were dressed in the same dark colours similar to what she and Draco were wearing. In truth, everybody in the room was dressed in black. However, Hermione did not have time to dwell on it as her attention was caught by a man sitting in a large deep chair that looked more like a throne. He was dressed in a black velvet suit and the same colour shirt with an open collar. He looked no older than in his mid thirties with dark brown hair that was stylishly cut. In an impossibly elegant hand he held a heavy crystal goblet filled with what looked like red wine.

Feeling that Hermione stopped moving Draco gently pushed her forward and led her towards the chair. As they walked in the voices stopped and the room fell silent. Giving her hand a reassuring squeeze Draco bowed his head and said,

"Sir, I would like to introduce to you my intended, Miss Hermione Granger."

The man's attention focused on her and Hermione caught her breath. His eyes were a beautiful brown colour, surrounded by long dark eyelashes. Though the light in the room was fairly dim, his pupils were tiny dark dots making Hermione wonder if he could see her properly. What shocked her most was how old his eyes looked, not physically, since they were bright and almost unnaturally sparkly but the wisdom shinning in them. It was as if this man had seen everything there was to see in the world and more and yet now his attention was focused on her, his gaze full of vivid interest.

The young witch felt herself holding her breath. The next moment the man lowered his glass on a nearby table and got up, "Miss Granger, it's very nice to meet you," he stretched his hand towards her and she offered her own expecting a hand shake. Instead he lifted her hand to his lips and placed a butterfly kiss on her fingers, "Or may I call you Hermione?" As he said these words, his eyes flashed and Hermione felt herself suddenly out of breath.

He let go of her hand and turned to Draco, "I commend you on your choice, my boy. I am glad that Miss Granger would be joining us." He then turned to Harry and Fleur who stood just behind them. Understanding that her audience was over Hermione stepped back followed by Draco and the French Veela moved forward.

This time the man looked closely at Harry and for a second his eyes shut. They opened again a second later and his features hardened. He did not offer his hand to Harry instead he motioned to Fleur and she quickly moved next to his chair and started to say something very quietly to him. The man listened intently and then nodded. Turning to Harry he finally spoke up, "Mr Potter, I have to be honest, I was not looking forward to meeting you. But you are bonded to one of my girls and I felt that I ought to have met you especially considering that your role in the wizarding world promises to be quite interesting."

He paused and Harry was about to speak up but the man waved his hand at him and continued,

"You have a lot of potential in you. But your natural powers have been tainted by the one who gave you this mark. And your upbringing from what I understand did not prepare you to the inner and outer battles that you have to face. I know that Draco promised you help and my advice to you would be to use it wisely."

With these words he nodded to Harry and Fleur who had already moved back to stand next to her intended. As if this was a sign for the end of the proceedings, people around them came in motion. The man himself moved to talk to Lucius and Narcissa and Hermione was able to breathe out.

She could not contain her curiosity and turned to Draco, "Who is this and where are we?"

The blond Slytherin smirked. "This is my great-great-great grandfather." He took an effective pause and added. "He's a true vampire. Actually a King of Vampires. His name is Lord Rodamir."

"But he..." Hermione could not stop herself from glancing at the subject of their conversation, "he does not look like vampire."

"Am I not?" she heard from the other side of the room.

Rodamir had turned to her and smiled the most charming way. He then walked towards her, his tall figure moving with unbelievably fluid grace. "What did you expect, my dear?"

Hermione blushed, "I..." she paused, feeling incredibly exposed and not knowing what to say, "In all honesty I did not know what to expect."

His laughter lit up the room, "I am glad you are honest," he retorted and for a second he seemed so youthful that Hermione forgot that in front of her was a vampire who was at least several hundred years old and all she could see was a young man with incredibly boyish charm. Somebody cleared his throat behind her and Rodamir stopped laughing, "Sorry about that, Draco," he replied in a tone which did not sound sorry at all. "You know that I am just joking." He turned to Hermione and winked at her, "I am afraid, my dear, that most people and wizards know next to nothing about vampires. And we like to keep it this way. It's so much easier when you are portrayed as scary creatures with blood red eyes and long incisors. Very few ever learn the truth and I am delighted that you would be one of them."

Hermione smiled shyly and then asked, "Is this your palace?"

Rodamir smiled in return, "Sort of," he replied, "This is a place for meetings and discussions, a bit like the Muggle Parliament." Seeing her surprised face, he continued more seriously. "You were not summoned here to just be introduced to me, though I did want to see you. I have been approached by Draco asking for help and after I considered his proposal, I could see a lot of merit in it. I have arranged for a meeting to take place tonight." He turned to Draco and nodded to him. "Time is of an essence, my boy. I suggest that you explain everything to your friends to make sure that everybody is briefed."

With these words he stepped aside and set back in his throne. As if his words were a signal, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy as well as Mr and Madam Delacour got up and exited from the side door, followed closely by Snape. To Hermione's surprise Isabelle Delacour, Fleur, Blaise and Gabrielle remained. While everybody took their positions around a large table a tall slim woman that Hermione did not notice before slid next to Rodamir and took his hand in hers. "This is Lady Lara," she heard Draco whisper in her ear. "She is his Queen." Hermione just stared at the couple in front of her, she had never seen two people looking at each other with such intensity: love and care, desire and respect, their eyes were so expressive that for a second the Gryffindor witch forgot where she was. However, the moment was broken when Draco spoke up.

"As Lord Rodamir rightly said, I came here about two week ago asking him for help. He was kind enough to agree to help and tonight is a key event for us as the leaders of all magical races are gathering here for a meeting to decide the future of our world. As a King of Vampires Lord Rodamir was able to summon the Heads of True Elves, Goblins, Veelas, Merpeople, Centaurs, trolls, dryads and others. The wizarding world will be represented by the Head of UAW and Mr Potter, the effective leader of the Order of the Phoenix. And we are going to discuss one question only - a coalition against the Dark Lord. So far this war only affected the wizards and witches and other races were able to keep out of it. The Dark Lord had tried to gather supporters from werewolves, Dementors and giants. These three races will not be represented here since we don't want to deal with Dementors, giants are just not able to communicate with words and werewolves are controlled by Fenrir, who is simply mad. Other than that all other magical races will be here.

Since the war is spilling from wizarding community to the whole of magical world, it's time we formed a coalition against it. I think that with the position of UAW we would be able to secure support of other races in the fight against the Dark Lord. The conditions would be the same as when we approach wizarding families: total amnesty, respect to the old traditions, and limited period of the union until the victory. In return we would be asking for support such as finance from the goblins, magical help from True Elves, potions from dryads, soldiers from vampires, spies from Veelas and anything else available. The key is to find out how to kill the Dark Lord."

"He must have done something to make himself immortal," said Harry. "Otherwise he would have died when he attacked my parents."

"Could be," Draco replied, "but we need a way of finding it out and it's not like we could break into his mind. However, other magical creatures might be a lot better positioned. That's why we need their help."

"What are the chances that they would agree?" Hermione forced herself to concentrate on the problem at hand.

"I think we have a good chance," Draco replied and turned to his ancestor, "What are your thoughts, My Lord?"

Rodamir looked pensive for a moment and again his expressive face had changed. Now Hermione could easily believe that in front of her was a wise experienced leader."

"Your reasoning makes sense and the proposal is timely, therefore giving it a good chance of success," he remarked, "though I would start with getting them excited about all the things they could accomplish together, how it would be for great benefit to each of their race since it would make them both prosper and only afterwards talk about the difficult things that need to be done. And don't let them argue about details. Focus on the big picture."

Draco smiled grimly, "I would hardly be the one keeping them in check, My Lord"

Rodamir grinned, "Don't worry about it, my boy, I'll take this task upon myself."

"So who is going to represent UAW," Harry asked curiosity obvious on his face.

Hermione looked at Draco, who simply shook his head. "Not me, we've talked about it and decided that Adela Greengrass would be a perfect candidate. She's a very powerful witch from a well respected pureblood family. However, for a long time now they have been known to be neutral. Her family joining UAW would show others that it's time to take sides."

"So you are going to again hide in the shadows?" Harry asked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

A low growl escaped from Rodamir and Hermione looked at her friend worriedly.

"No, I will be present at the meeting," Draco said.

"But Draco, if one of these creatures betrays you to Vol...You-Know-Who," Hermione managed to correct herself just in time.

"That won't happen, my dear," Rodamir's intervened, "This is a beauty of these chambers. They are covered with a spell. Whatever is spoken here cannot be repeated outside these walls. That's how I was able to hold here the little gathering from earlier. Nobody needs to know that Lucius is so accepting of his future daughter-in-law."

Draco nodded thanking his ancestor for that explanation and then turned to Harry, "You, Potter, need to convince everybody that you are firmly out of Dumbledore influence. And to do that you need to tell them the truth that you have started taking control of the Order of the Phoenix. That you know that you've been manipulated for many years and it's not going to happen any longer."

Harry's face turned grim. "I can say all I want, Malfoy, but who would believe me?"

"Oh, I think they will," Draco smiled slightly. "Granger here will go as a representative of Muggle-borns and we also have another guest arriving shortly. When I said that we don't have werewolves here, I was not exactly truthful. Lupin is coming as well as Bill Weasley. They represent 2 strongest wizards after Dumbledore and yourself from the Order. The fact that they are supporting you would be enough to convince everybody that you have things firmly in hand."

Both Harry and Hermione looked at him shocked, "How did you manage that?" the Gryffindor wizard asked.

"It was not me," Draco replied calmly. "Snape helped me with Lupin: told him about the will your parents left and that you were trying to live your own life now and not be sacrificed on the altar of the Order of the Phoenix. And with Bill," he paused and looked at Rodamir, who nodded slightly, "Bill has terrible pains during full moon, his body craves transformation but is unable to perform it. The only way to stop them is to provide an antidote to the werewolve's hormones and that could be obtained only from one source: vampire venom. I was able to promise him live-long supply." Draco paused and noticing Harry's clouded expression rolled his eyes, "Oh, don't give me that look. I was not blackmailing him. He's already agreed as part of the deal with his younger brother to support you. All I said was that I could introduce him to somebody who could provide him with the antidote and if he wanted it he should come along tonight."

At that moment the door to the chamber opened and a dark haired man stepped in, "It's time, My Lord," he bowed towards Rodamir.

The King of Vampires nodded, "Show time," he said calmly, "May Fortuna be with us."

XXXXXXXXXX

When Hermione got back into her room, it was almost morning. She collapsed in bed without even taking her clothes off and fell asleep. She woke up hours later when it was almost dark from a soft hand touching her hair. Blond hair and piercing blue eyes looking at her, and with a soft cry she launched herself at Draco.

"How?" she murmured into his shirt, "How did you make it here?"

"Severus brought me," he answered quietly. "I needed to see you."

She clung to him and they stayed silent for a long time. "It was a tough night," she whispered into his chest.

"I know," he replied stroking her back, "But a good one. We got the agreement between different races and it's a big victory for our side. And on top of it you got to meet Rodamir and he liked you. It does not happen very often."

Hermione thought for a moment about the vampire king. "And what if he did not like me?" she asked.

Draco shrugged, "Oh, don't worry he would not have interfered, not unless you would have hurt me. He would just not invite you over. I would have come to visit him on my own."

Hermione nodded thoughtfully, "You know, it's so strange to meet all these races and to know that you are related to some many?"

Draco smiled, "With most of them we have no close links. All these marriages through centuries! It does not mean much now. They would not have done anything if it did not suit them. But blood relation, however distant, allows us to put a foot in the door."

"But with Rodamir it's different?" she asked.

Draco's face became serious, "Yes, vampires normally don't have children, vampire women are sterile so the only way for a male vampire is to have a child with a mortal woman. But a mortal woman needs to knowingly want to have a vampire's child otherwise she would not conceive and it usually never happens. Rodamir was already about 300 years old when he met Cloe. She was a witch and she loved him and he loved her back.

I don't know the details about it but I think she was something special. He did not want her to get pregnant from him. Such pregnancies are very dangerous, since vampire children need blood and there is almost no chance for the mother to survive labour. But Cloe tricked him. She just wanted to give him something special. She bore him a daughter and died a few hours afterwards. He tried to save her by turning her but she wasn't strong enough to survive the transformation. So this daughter had become his everything. She was the one who married my ancestor. As half human she was able to have children. So that was my great-great grandfather. She died when she had been very old, from a werewolf bite. For Rodamir we are the only family he would ever have. We are his own blood. And I think it's more important for him than anything else."

Hermione was touched by this tragic story, "And the woman who was with him today?" she asked.

Draco smiled, "Oh, that's Lara, he met her a while ago, probably about 50 years. She was a mortal woman as well. Fell head over hills in love with him. He turned her very quickly: did not want to risk her doing the same as Cloe. She really healed him. He'd been so much happier since she came about. At least my father says so."

The mention of Lucius Malfoy brought Hermione back to reality.

"So what's now Draco?" she asked.

The Malfoy heir smiled, "Same old thing," he said quietly. "UAW is now formed, we have all the wizarding support we need and the other magical races have joined us as well. Now it's a matter of time. We'll find a way to kill the Dark Lord and then it would be the end of war with UAW taking control."

"You talk about it, as if killing him is a piece of cake?" she asked indignantly.

Draco smiled, "I don't take it lightly Hermione. It would be very hard work and a lot of sacrifices. But tonight, if you don't mind, I'd like to celebrate. It's a New Year. We have achieved a lot and I won't to spend this night with you and feel myself alive." He started kissing her face and Hermione melted into his embrace as Draco continued to whisper to her, "Everything can wait till tomorrow, tonight I just want to be with you."

His lips finally met hers and they both lost themselves in a kiss. When they broke apart, she whispered, "I love you."

"And I love you", he echoed back.

His fingers slipped under her top reaching for a clasp of her bra. All rational reason left Hermione and for a while all they could think or feel were each other as the world outside the room stopped to exist.

**Thank you all for reading and reviewing. Here is the next chapter. Let me know what you think.**


	34. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Five years later.

The storm was raging near a remote castle with dark clouds moving fast in the sky and the rain pounding on the slick black rocks. The moon had just shown its face after another burst of wind pushed the clouds out of the way, when a hooded figure clinging to a broom appeared in thin air with a quiet pop. For a few moments the rider struggled to keep the balance but soon enough the broom steadied and the silhouette straightened. With a quick look around the wild seas the figure turned towards the castle where a single light could be seen in one of the rooms.

It took the rider about ten minutes to struggle through the wind and rain but he did make it to the window and peered inside. In came the view of a young man with bright red hair sitting in a chair, pouring over a book. The site made the rider smile and he knocked on the window. It took some time before the man in the room noticed the gentle tapping and then he lifted his eyes and peered into the darkness. The rider knocked again and this time the man got up and moved towards the window. He opened it and the wind rushed into the room.

"Hello, Ron," the rider moved back the hood ignoring the rain and a beautiful red haired woman came into view. "Do you recognise me?" she asked.

"Ginny," he said a disbelieving smile forming on his face. "What are you doing here?"

She smiled back at him, "Trying to visit my brother," she replied. "Would you let me in?"

The smile disappeared from his face, "You know I can't," he said. "These bars are unbreakable."

The red-head witch smirked, "Nothing is unbreakable," she replied calmly. She waved her wand and a thin snake erupted from the end of it. It slithered its way through and around each bar and to his fascination Ron saw the confines of his prison melt away."

Ginny gave him a victorious grin and flew in.

The moment she was off the broom the brother and sister hugged each other.

"I can't believe it," Ron muttered, "I can't believe that you've made it here. It's impossible."

Ginny stepped away from him and put away her robe. "Not impossible, but damn hard," she replied curtly. "That's why it took me so long. First to find out where you were. Then to determine a spell that would allow apparition on the broom. And the longest was to figure out what was protecting your prison and how to get in without raising an alarm. All of that took most of the 3 years. But at least I made it here."

Ron's mouth creased into a wry smile, "And why were you so persistent?" he asked. "It seems that mum and dad are not that much bothered that I am stuck in here."

Ginny's smile fell. "It's not like they don't care, Ron. They do but there is very little they can do. The world around had changed so much."

"How much?" Ron's face lit up with curiosity.

Ginny looked at him her eyes taking in his familiar features, "What do you remember, Ron?" she asked her voice dropping to a whisper. "Honestly, how much has Snape left you and how much have you managed to piece together."

His eyes flashed for a second and then his demeanour slumped suddenly looking incredibly weary. "He has not left me much, Ginny. I remember everything clearly till the beginning of the six year at Hogwarts. Then there are little bits missing here and there. And then there is this big gap and I have this knowledge that I have betrayed mum and dad somehow though I don't know how. And the next thing I remember was waking up here and everything is clear again. I also know that Voldermot has been defeated, they've told me that much. But apart from that they have not been telling me anything about what goes on in Britain. I only get local news. I've been asking but nobody would say anything. This is the rule of this place. People just are not capable of saying certain things."

She nodded understandingly, "I know Ron, that's another thing I had to work out and it was incredibly difficult but I think I have figured it out." She pulled a potion bottle from her pocket and smiled at her brother again. "Bottoms up," she said as she downed the drink.

Her face screwed up tasting the vile liquid but Ginny forced herself to swallow, "Here it goes," she said, her bottom lip trembling slightly. "Now I will find out if all these efforts were worth it and try and tell you what had happened. And I will not start from the beginning instead I will get straight to the point. The reason you are here, Ron, is because Hermione Granger had damped you and instead started dating Draco Malfoy. They've been together since the beginning of the 6th year at Hogwarts and when you found out about it, you decided to get revenge."

During her little speech Ginny stared at her brother intently willing his memory to come back. However, Ron's face clearly showed that he had no recollection of the events and Ginny sighed resignedly. She pulled out another vial from her pocket and handed it to her brother, "Drink this," she said, "it should slowly dissolve the memory block and allow your memories to trickle through." The red headed witch expected her brother to hesitate and was a little surprised and very pleased when he grabbed the bottle and knocked it down in one gulp.

"While the potion works," she continued, "I might as well continue with my tale. It should speed up the process. What you did to get revenge was neither very nice nor was it smart. You got in touch with Bellatrix Le Strange, kidnapped Granger from HQ of the Order and delivered her straight to the Malfoy Manor. I don't really know what happened afterwards. Suffice to say, that you got caught and were sentenced to permanent obliviation. But Harry Potter interfered; he went with your parents to Snape who was supposed to perform the spell. Zabini got involved and together they cooked up this: a strong memory block and a prison sentence for twenty years followed by life time exile from Britain."

For a second she paused and looked at her brother closely. "Do you start to remember now?" she asked. "Or have Snape's memory blocks done too much damage."

Ron did not answer; he was too busy concentrating on what was happening in his head. Over the years he had managed to catalogue almost all his memories of his six years at Hogwarts in great detail and now he felt that they were becoming distorted as new pieces began to appear here and there. It was chaotic to say the least. A glance here, a word there but they were coming together, moving, adjusting and fitting next to each other like different parts of a puzzle.

Ginny watched as he froze and his eyes got a glazed look. It seemed that her potion was working and that his memories were coming back. If she managed to get Ron back to himself, all the sacrifices she had made over the last years would be worth it and perhaps afterwards they would be able to regain some control over their lives.

It took Ron nearly two hours to piece together what he had been missing. It was like watching a film with himself as a main character. The events rushed past him. And the strangest thing was that all his memories were surprisingly devoid from any emotion. He remembered his anger at Hermione's betrayal, his surprise at finding out about Malfoy and incredible frustration at not being able to catch the sneaky Slytherin. But all these feelings were somewhat faded just as his fear of Bellatrix and the panic when he was caught by Snape.

Ginny's voice broke into his reverie. "Are you alright, Ron?" she asked concerned.

The redhead smiled, "Better than I've been in the last five years." He took a seat on a chair and looked at his sister. "Now tell me what happened while I was stuck here?"

Ginny relaxed in her chair and smiled at him, "Oh, a great deal, Ron. Voldermot was defeated 3 years ago. Harry killed him with the Gryffindor sword. It was not in a battle or anything. Draco Malfoy led Harry straight to the Dark Lord's chambers and together they disposed of the guards. The moment Voldermot was dead, his supporters dissipated. Most of the Death Eaters had already been part of UAW and had been spying on their master. Wizengamot held a number of hearings where some of his supporters like Pettigrew and Fenrir were publicly prosecuted and sentenced to death. Adela Greengrass has been elected as the Minister of Magic and UAW has become a majority party in the Wizengamot."

"What happened to Harry and Granger?" Ron asked impatiently.

Ginny's lips twisted into a wry smile. "There is no Granger anymore, Ron. There is Lady Hermione Malfoy. They married less than 3 months after the victory. It was the event of the century: three wedding on one day." Out of her pocket the redheaded witch pulled out an old Daily Prophet. "I thought you might want to see for yourself."

Ron grabbed the newspaper and stared at the moving images with burning eyes. The centre picture had three couples positioned next to each other in an identical stance: with each man embracing a young woman. The couples' hands were interlocked together, gold wedding bands prominently on display. They presented a stark contrast with two dark haired men flanking a blond wizard at the back and two blond women positioned to the sides of a brunette in front.

Ron could not believe his eyes. Never in his life could he have imagined that Harry Potter would be sharing wedding pictures with Draco Malfoy and Blaize Zabini. The red head quickly looked at other pictures, which included all three couples in different combinations: Draco Malfoy with his two gorgeous Veela cousins, Hermione and Harry standing next to each other, Malfoy and Zabini and each of the couples separately.

Ron's eyes were glued to the picture of Hermione and Malfoy, the two of them were leaning towards each other with her hands wrapped in his. They looked sickeningly in love.

"You can say that these three couples rule wizarding world in Britain," Ginny spoke up. "They are adored by the public, war heroes and all. Though Adela Greengrass is officially the Minister of Magic, these six have so much power. Draco Malfoy is the Head of UAW and runs Malfoy's business empire after Lucius had officially retired. Nobody doubts that in not too distant future the ferret will become the Minister of Magic himself. Hermione had gone into finance; she is the finance director of her husband's empire and also a member of Gringott's board of directors - the first non-Goblin in history. Harry is a Deputy Head of the Aurors. Kingsley does not do anything without his advice. Fleur is a staff manager at St Mungos. She's finished her qualifications as a medi-witch in record time and is specialising in treating war victims. Blaise and Gabrielle Zabini went into media. He's a senior editor of the Daily Prophet and she started her own TV show, which is the first for the wizarding Britain." Ginny's voice became more clipped with every word she spoke and ended up sounding downright bitter. "You can't go anywhere without bumping into these six. And everybody loves them, everybody worships them."

"There is always Hogwarts," Ron muttered darkly, "Dumbledore would not let them get there."

Ginny chuckled darkly. "I don't thing Dumbledore has any say in the matter, Ron. He is not the Headmaster anymore." At her brother's astonished look she explained, "He retired just after the war, been awarded the Order of Merlin first class and a private estate that used to belong to his family. He's been living there without much interactions with the outside world ever since. Apparently he's writing his memoirs. McGonagall went with him."

"So who is the Headmaster now?" Ron exclaimed.

"Turn the page, brother." Ginny's grim voice did not promise him any good news but he followed his sister's advice and flipped the Daily Prophet in his hand over. In front of him was a picture of a dark-haired couple. He did not know the gorgeous woman but the man was, without a doubt, Severus Snape, though Ron doubted he had ever seen the "bat from the dungeons" look so unlike himself. "Headmaster Snape with his wife Professor Isabelle Snape," Ron read the footnote out loud. He looked up at his sister, "But it can't be," he could not contain his disbelief.

"He was elected unanimously," Ginny said quietly, "And his wife is a Delacour, half sister of the two Veelas. She is a Potions Mistress at Hogwarts. Together they control the school. Flitwick and Sprout are still there and Lupin is teaching Defence again."

Ron looked at her in bewilderment. "But how is this possible?" he asked. "What did the Order say? Mum and Dad? Mad-Eye? They were always Dumbledore's firm supporters."

Ginny sighed, "Oh, Ron, mum and dad did not say anything. Your comfort and relative normality came with a price: support for Harry Potter instead of Dumbledore. Whether it was Harry's idea or Malfoy put him up to it but Potter took control of the Order. All Weasleys agreed to it to save your sanity and Lupin came with them. Mad-Eye was killed shortly afterwards and Kingsley backed Harry up as well. With Potter – de-facto Head of the Order and Malfoy ruling UAW, they managed to get a coalition with other magical races. Voldermot was trapped.

Vampires wiped out all Dementors. Nobody knows how they did it but they managed. Lupin infiltrated the werewolves and caused unrest there. Death Eaters slowly moved to UAW. Bellatrix was killed by her husband who then committed a suicide. His brother was killed shortly afterwards. Voldermot was losing a lot of ground.

All this time Malfoy, Harry and Hermione were searching for a way to kill him for good. They discovered that he had created Horcruxes, effectively splitting his soul, and hid each piece in the old relics of the Founders and some other items. They mounted a search and found and destroyed them one by one. And when they were done Malfoy led Harry to Voldermot and the end was pre-determined. Voldermot did not stand a chance."

Ron stared into space taking all this information in. "So what happened to mum and dad?" he asked changing the topic.

"Oh, they are well enough. Dad got big pension and lots of money as a one-off reward for his services. It allowed them to rebuild the Burrow and they will be financially comfortable for the rest of their lives. Bill has married Daphna Greengrass. He's a lot better now. He has some sort of a potion that makes the side effects of the bite almost unnoticeable. They have a beautiful boy now. Charlie is still with the Dragons, he's dating Daphna's sister-Astoria. Fred and George are still working in the joke shop. Angelina and Katie are with them." She paused and lowered her head.

"And that leaves you," Ron prompted her.

Ginny's face tensed. "Yes, that leaves me," she repeated. "My life seems to be perfect, doting parents, loving brothers. I finished Hogwarts, got my degree and started training as a medi-witch. But it was not all that simple." She paused and her eyes glimmered with hidden pain. "Though I was not directly implicated in what you did, Ron, everybody suspected that I had known about your plans for revenge. That makes me into a threat. I know that my mail gets screened. That everybody I come in contact with gets checked. Between Potter's Aurors and Malfoy's security, there is not much that I can do without being spotted. It's like I am in prison without physically being confined to one place. And this is not the worst part. Even my own parents and brothers don't trust me and therefore do not let me do anything on my own. No matter, what I do, where I go, whom I date, they are always close by: watching, hovering, making sure I don't do anything stupid." Her voice rose as she let her anger come to the surface.

"So the only thing I could do was to bury myself into studying. Two years ago I went back to Hogwarts, and took apprenticeship under Madam Pomfrey. I think they all sighed with relief. As long as I was cooped up at the school under the watchful gaze of the Snapes, they could all breathe a sigh of relief.

I studied really hard, read everything I could get my hands on. I also thought a lot and for the first time looked at my life without the rosy goggles. The way things are I can't count on a marriage based on love, since the only man I've ever loved is bonded to a Veela. I won't get an advantageous marriage because my reputation has been tainted and you know how unforgiving wizarding world could be. So the only option I have is either to lead my life under a watchful gaze of my family and Malfoy's spies or to try and break free.

And that's when I thought about you. You are probably the only person who would not judge me, who would understand what I felt, and I decided that no matter what it took I would try and free you. I never worked as hard as I did during the past few years. I collected all the titbits of information I could get my hands on, I learnt Legilimency and broke into Bill's mind. I did a lot of Dark Magic but I managed to do what I needed: find out where you were held and then figure out how to get here and bring your memories back. Now there is only one thing left for me to do."

She looked her brother deep in the eyes. "I want to leave Britain, to go somewhere far away where nobody would find us. I thought Australia, somewhere in the outback, would be a good place. And I would like you to go with me. I've been saving money for a while now and also managed to get some from mum's and dad's vault. I slowly changed it all into Muggle money. It amounts to a very tidy sum and would be enough for us for a few years before we figure out what to do and how to live in the Muggle world."

Ginny caught her breath and looked at her brother, "So now I am asking you, Ron, are you with me?"

The redhead wizard stayed silent for a while, his hand running nervously through his hair. "It's a lot to take in, Ginny," he muttered.

She smiled sadly, "I know, but unfortunately we don't have much time. You are watched pretty closely here."

He nodded in agreement, "Which means that they would know that I am gone very quickly and then they would search for us. Both of us know Malfoy, he would not rest till he found us and then we both would be in trouble."

"They won't," Ginny interrupted him, "I have a plan regarding this."

"What plan?" Ron asked.

The redheaded woman shook her head, "No, Ron, first you need to say whether you'd like to go with me."

The young man looked at her disbelievingly, "How could you doubt, Ginny?" he asked. "You described to me how "difficult" your life had been. But at least you've had relative freedom. I, on the other hand, have been in a real prison with a big chunk of my memories missing, slowly going insane, because I could not piece my own life together. You have no idea how hard this is."

He paused for a second taking a deep breath and then added calmer, "I don't know how long I would have lasted but not as long as my sentence. So I can honestly say that you not only saved my sanity but my life. And I am forever grateful and will do anything to repay you. But I want to first ask you something," he raised his head and their eyes met. "Don't you hate them?" his eyes sparked with such fury that Ginny did not have to guess who he meant.

She stayed quiet for a moment trying to find the right words, "It's not that simple, Ron," she said finally averting her gaze.

"Ha," his voice was humourless, "It is simple, Ginny. Hate is a very simple emotion, you either feel it or you don't. I can honestly say that I detest them all: Potter, Snape, Granger and especially Malfoy. They took from me everything I had: family, future. And then they left me here to rot while they were enjoying life. And for that I will forever hate them."

Ginny looked at her brother. "But Ron the things you've done were not much better. You had kidnapped Hermione and brought her to Death Eaters. They would have tortured and killed her if Blaize Zabini had not rescued her. What Malfoy did was in a sense an equal pay back."

Ron looked at her squarely, "And I am sure that Malfoy loathes me just as passionately as I hate him," he retorted, "The only difference is that he can gloat over his victory."

Ginny shook her head. "You can't think like this, Ron. I will be honest with you: for a long time I was so angry with them and all I wanted was revenge. But then I realised that hating them did not help me. Now I want to move on, move away from the life I have here and build a new and hopefully a better one. So what I am asking is this, are you prepared to let go of your hatred and come with me?"

The red-headed wizard stared at his sister and she could feel the inner battle in him. "Come on, Ron," she urged. "You need to let go of your past. You've made a stupid mistake and that has landed you into this. Now I am giving you a chance to start a new life. Let's use it and do something good with it this time. There is finally peace in the wizarding world. We could enjoy ourselves and try and have a happy live."

She stretched her hand to him and after a moment of hesitation he took it in his. In return Ginny smiled, "Moving on?" she asked and Ron responded to her with a smile of his own, "Moving on."

XXXXXX

In the open window a bat sat on the sill. As the brother and sister embraced it quietly took off into the dark night. It flew for a long time and finally arrived into a dark palace where it transformed into a pale man with sparkling brown eyes. He took in a beautiful sight in front of him, a sleeping woman spread on the dark sheets. With a small smile Lord Rodamir slid into bed next to her. She stirred but did not wake. His hand languidly caressed her back as he thought of the night's events.

Everything happened just as he had expected. The Weasleys were always too stubborn to stay put... For now both brother and sister were not a threat to his heirs but they would need to be closely monitored. And if he sensed even a hint of a threat to his blood line, he'd take action, in his usual manner, swift and ruthless. So that nothing would prevent Hermione's and Draco's son from fulfilling his destiny-becoming the ruler of all magical races in the world.

The End

**Hi All. I've just reposted the last chapter with some changes and realised that I have not really explained why the story came to an end so abruptly. It has taken me way longer than I could have ever imagined to finish writing this and I almost abandoned it completely. However, it felt wrong to just leave it. I know from my own experience that I hate when stories I enjoy reading are left without proper ending. **

**I know that the last 4 chapters were a bit forced, definitely rushed and not of the usual standard. However, I have to be honest that I've lost my inspiration for this story. I had the ending in my head, most of it you've read in the last chapter and I just wanted to get there as soon as possible. So sorry again if my readers were disappointed. **

**I would like to thank everybody who read and reviewed the story. You've made it all worthwhile. **


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